Giving thanks in the dark

I found myself in the dark this week - literally! During the 9 years or so we have lived in our house, we have had occasional power cuts, when the electricity supply has suddenly failed. Usually the power returns within a fairly short time. One annoying aspect of this eventuality is that we keep having to reset the alarm clock. It happened twice this week; the second occurrence came late afternoon as the light was rapidly fading. I found myself hurriedly searching for some other light source before the sunlight disappeared completely. Fortunately, I managed to locate two candles and a box of matches. As I was on my own at home, I sat in the front room and wondered what to do next! No TV, no computer, no kettle, no microwave, insufficient light for reading, no heating, etc. etc.

The whole event led me to consider how easily we can take for granted many aspects of our lives. Certainly, sitting on my own in the dark made me realise what a wonderful resource electricity is. I then thought about all those who are involved in the various processes which enable our house to receive electricity, and gave thanks for whoever sorted out the problem and reconnected the supply in time for me to make my tea!

One thought often leads to another, and I began to consider the various industrial disputes currently taking place: Royal Mail, the Fire Service, First buses, refuse collectors in Leeds etc. I don't have an insight into the disputes, and I certainly don't know who is in the right. I do find it fascinating that whenever I hear either management or unions speak, I feel some sympathy for them. No doubt, as with most of these disputes, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. It does seem a shame that they can't sit down and work out a solution before getting to the point of taking strike action.

Yet as I was thinking about these disputes, I came to realise how much I do appreciate the work done by those who deliver the mail, operate the fire engines (or "pumps" as they are know), drive the buses, and empty our wheelie bins week by week. How much we would miss them if they weren't there!

In St Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians he writes, 'give thanks in all circumstances' The reality is, that even in the most difficult times of life, if we take a moment to consider, there is still so much for which we ought to give thanks. Not least to God for his many blessings!

Communication is the key

When I started this blog a few months ago, I intended to do my best to update it approximately one each week. I have more or less kept to the schedule, apart from the period when I had my fortnight's summer holiday. Usually when it is time to sit down to write the blog, some subject comes to mind. This time, however, I have been waiting for a couple of days for the inspiration!

Tomorrow I am due to take a wedding. Generally I really enjoy taking weddings; it is a great privilege to lead a service in which a couple willingly exchange vows and make what amounts to one of the biggest commitments a person can make in life.

Yet, as anyone who has experienced marriage knows, it's one thing to make the vows, and sometimes quite another to keep them! There are several ingredients which go towards making a successful marriage, and one of the most important is good communication. Taking time to communicate, to be open and honest, and to genuinely listen is so important in any relationship, but especially in marriage. One article on the subject suggested that, “Most couples engage in meaningful conversation less than 15 minutes per week.” No wonder that this can lead to major problems!

A few weeks ago my brother moved to New Zealand. With modern communication methods, it doesn't so far seem much different from when he was in Liverpool; we can still communicate regularly through email and facebook etc. Yet it's ironic that in the modern communication age, we human beings still seem to have so much to learn when it comes to personal, face to face, communication. The current round of industrial strife suggests that management and unions alike could do better with their communication.

Of course, communication is two-way. At our Alpha course this week the subject was prayer. What a privilege we have been given in the gift of prayer. At any time and in any place we can offer our prayers to God, knowing that he listens to us. But prayer, also, is two-way. We need to give times in our prayers when we shut up and allow God to speak. I constantly ask God to help me be a better listener. Come to think of it, my wife would probably say “amen” to that!

Cliff & The Shadows, eBay, fraud and Emma

It is rather a shame that I have the time this evening to write my blog. Why? Because Sue and I should have been enjoying an evening at the Sheffield Arena, watching Cliff and The Shadows in their farewell concert tour. It is an evening we have long been looking forward to, but sadly it was not to be. Let me explain...

It was quite some time ago when I heard about the tour. We decided that if we could get some tickets we would like to go to one of the tour venues. By the time we started looking for tickets, many had already been sold. Being a long-time eBayer, I naturally looked on eBay, and found two seemingly ideal tickets for the evening in Sheffield, our most convenient tour venue.

So, back in February I won and paid for two tickets. They weren't cheap, but I thought that it was worth the money, especially as we rarely go out to similar events. I realised that buying these type of tickets on eBay, especially well in advance of an event, does involve an element of risk. However, the seller had (and has) a good eBay feedback rating and so I felt able to trust them. The seller informed me that the tickets would be sent to me a couple of weeks before the event, when s/he had received them. There did not seem anything unusual about this. All I could do was wait!

As the event drew closer, I attempted to contact the seller to check that I would be receiving the tickets. It now appears that I was victim of a fraud. I have received no tickets and have received no reply to any of my recent emails. So, here are two very disappointed people, out of pocket and out of the Sheffield Arena! I don't feel angry, just sad at a missed opportunity and sad at the fact that people like this particular eBay seller feels that it's OK to con people out of their hard earned money.

I guess that all of us find ourselves let down on occasions, sometimes even by those close to us on whom we thought we could rely. I am so grateful that I know Jesus, the one who is an ever faithful friend. When we trust in him, we are never let down.

So how did Sue and I spend the evening? We went out for a meal at our local pub, then came home and watched a recording of Sunday's episode of Emma. Not quite Cliff and The Shadows, but very enjoyable nevertheless!

Look what I found!

Sue and I recently had the opportunity to visit an Antique and Collectors' Fair at the Lincolnshire Showground. I love to look at items from a bygone era; I often wonder what tales they could tell if only they could speak! I particularly enjoy browsing stalls which have lots of small and interesting items.

On one stall I came across a very unusual old wedding greeting card. Although it was rather worn and grubby, I found it fascinating, and as it was only 50p I decided to buy it! It appears to have been handpainted. On the back is written "From your workmates at Lewis' all the best on your forthcoming wedding". The front of the card states "The undermentioned wish Miss E Jones the Best of Health and Every Happiness". Then are listed over 40 names. There is also an image of what I take to be the department store where Miss Jones and her colleagues worked. I assume that this is the famous Lewis' store in Liverpool.

I'll probably end up listing it on eBay, but the attraction to me is not in its monetary value. It raised all sorts of questions in my mind. Who was Miss E Jones? Did she have a long and happy marriage? Is she is alive, and if not, did she leave children? I find it a little sad that this item, which Miss Jones must surely have treasured, ended up in a tatty old box along with lots of other items at a collectors' fair. I'll almost certainly never find out the answers to my questions. But one thing I am sure of – God knows. God loved Miss Jones, and my hope and prayer is that she knew and loved him.

Most of us live fairly ordinary lives. We will never hit the headlines, and never become a celebrity. But we can still be assured that we are known and loved by God.

As I said, I'll probably never find out if Miss Jones had a happy marriage. But I did read this week of the death of Frank Milford, who died recently at the age of 101. As he died he was holding the hand of his dear wife, Anita, also aged 101. They celebrated their 81st wedding anniversary in June and, at the time, were Britain's longest married couple. They said that the secret to their long marriage was 'give and take' and making up after rows with a kiss and a cuddle. Not bad advice!

Big name hidden meaning

At the start of a new season, the hopes and expectations of football supporters up and down the country are raised. Although we are now only a few weeks into the 2009/10 season, it seems that already some teams are facing an uphill battle to achieve success. When things aren't going quite right, supporters often want new and betters players to be signed to improve the team's performance. Sometimes the supporters express the desire for a "big named player" to be signed (meaning a well known player with a good reputation and proven track record). The team which I have supported since childhood, Hull City (yes, I know they're doing very badly so far, but there's time for improvement!) signed a player with a very big name - Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. His name might suggest that he comes from a region called Hesselink. However, the true explanation is rather different:

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's name derives from the 17th century, when two farming families in the Enschede area of the Netherlands intermarried. Both the Vennegoor and Hesselink names carried equal social weight, and so, rather than choose between them, they chose to use both. "Of" in Dutch translates to "or" in English, which would mean that a strict translation of his name would read 'Jan Vennegoor or Hesselink'. This could be considered as having the same effect as the double-barrelling of English surnames.

In England, the tradition has been that generally speaking, when a couple are married the wife will take on the husband's family name. The traditional in Holland, however, was that the family name which carried the higher social standing would be used!

For many people, even today, social status is something to be sought after. I suppose that we are all tempted in some way to avoid anything which would lower our status in the eyes of others. It has probably always been so. There is a passage in the New Testament when Jesus overhears the disciples arguing amongst themselves who is the greatest (shades of Muhammad Ali!) In response, Jesus instructed them, 'The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves'.

I love the way in which Jesus so often turned conventional wisdom on its head. In effect, he says, the greatest in God's eyes is the one who is willing to serve, and take the lowest place. Jesus certainly knows how to lay down a challenge!

The blessing of sisters

In my Dad's early working days he worked as a gardener. One of the places he worked was Burton Agnes Hall, which is perhaps not surprising as he was born and brought up in the village. By the time I was born he had left behind the time of being employed as a gardener, but he never lost his love of gardening. In the early years of my marriage, whenever we moved house Dad would come and set to work on our garden. It was great to see how soon he could knock it into shape. The challenge for me then was to keep it at that standard!

Though I quite enjoy gardening, I am nothing like as skilled at it as my dad was. We have been at out current house for just over 9 years now, and I've not really come close to getting on top of the garden. Every now and then I have a bit of a spurt, and parts of it are ok, but I know that Dad would have much to do if he were still alive and able to offer his help!

One of the big problems I face is shortage of time to actually spend in the garden. I was delighted, then, when two of my sisters very kindly offered to come and spend a couple of days with us and do some work in our back garden. Christine and Mary worked really hard, and I'm only sorry that I didn't manage to take a "before" photo to remind me of what the garden was like before their efforts. The back garden has been transformed. We took several car loads of garden waste to the tip, and there's still more waiting to be taken.

Apart from anything else, it's reminded me of how we human beings need each other. It was John Donne who famously wrote, 'No man is an island, entire of itself'. Part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus is to be ready to support, encourage and help others by allowing God's love to flow through us. Jesus calls us to follow his example of servanthood. We also need to be gracious enough to accept the offer of help from others when we are struggling. One of the big problems we face as a society is the fact that there seem to be so many people who feel alone, with no one to help or care. Right now I say a big thank you to God for my two sisters who gave so much to us, and I just hope that it's given me the incentive to carry on the good work!

A funny thing happened on the way to Synod

It's hard to believe that I'm now into my 20th year as a Methodist Minister! It seems such a long time since I had a "proper job" as an accountant (not all accountants are of the boring grey-suited variety!). One of the things I miss most of my former way of life is that I no longer have the traditional weekend break. I used to really enjoy weekends, giving as they did time to spend with the family and to do those jobs around the house and in the garden which I struggle to make time for these days. I also used to enjoy Sundays and attending church. That's not to say that I don't enjoy attending church these days, but it tends to be quite a busy and tiring day.

In theory, Saturday is my day off, though it doesn't always work out that way. Last Saturday, for example, I had to attend Synod in Sheffield. A friend who was not familiar with the term Synod recently asked me what it was. This is the definition I gave her: "It's a meeting which Ministers have to attend every so often where one listens to boring speeches, falls asleep, and then goes home again!" Perhaps a little harsh, but it's hard to pluck up much enthusiasm for Synod, especially when it happens on my day off. Last Saturday I decided that it would be best to take public transport, which meant catching the 7.30am bus into town, then the train to Sheffield. To be honest I don't often use the bus, so I was a bit nervous about whether I'd catch the right one, and whether I would arrive at the train station in time.

I worked out which number bus I needed, and I soon saw it approaching the bus stop. I jumped on, and was surprised to find myself the sole passenger. The driver then explained that someone has taken HIS bus, and that he was chasing after him to regain control of his bus! We spend off down the road and soon caught the bus in question. The miscreant driver, together with all his passengers, were soon transferred to my bus, and the original driver was overjoyed to have his own bus back!

To cut a long story short, I arrived in Sheffield on time and made my way to the Victoria Hall, where Synod was being held. As expected, much of it was fairly boring and I struggled to discern much point to it all. There was, however, one highlight, and that was an address given by the Bishop of Sheffield. I was very interested in and encouraged by what he said. His stated that the biggest challenge facing today's church, and every individual Christian, is to "be more like Jesus". I am sure the he is absolutely right. What our society desperately needs is for those of us who follow Jesus to live more like him. In the New Testament, the apostle John writes, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." Quite a challenge.