A thought provoking visit to the 'other' Tigers

Over the course of my life I have lived in quite a number of different parts of the country.  Being a lifelong football fan (i.e. Association Football, or 'soccer' as it is called in some parts), I have usually found in each church with which I have been connected a fair smattering of football fans.  Since coming to live in Leicester, I have been a little surprised to discover that in my churches here there are more rugby fans (or Rugby Football to give it its proper term) than football fans.  Although I was brought up in the Hull area, which is a strong rugby City, I have only ever been to one rugby match in my life, until yesterday that is.  (I should point out that there are two forms of Rugby, Rugby League and Rugby Union, but it would take far too long to explain the difference between the two!)

I was given the opportunity yesterday to attend a Rugby Union match between Leicester Tigers and Exeter Chiefs.  Being open to new life experiences, I was keen to take up the opportunity.  Leicester have long had the reputation of being one of the country's top teams.  Although the game of rugby is different in many ways from the game of football, I imagined that the experience of being a rugby spectator would be very similar to that if being a football spectator.  How wrong I was!

One aspect of the game which did confuse me a little came when the crowd started chanting their support of "The Tigers" (the name by which the Leicester team are known).  I fancied for a moment that I was back watching my home-town football team, Hull City, whose nickname is the Tigers (the real Tigers, of course!)

The ground was fairly full when the time came for kick-off.  The p.a. announcer informed us that the visiting team, Exeter Chiefs, were coming onto the pitch.  I was surprised to hear a generous round of applause from the home fans; if the same had happened at a football match, there would have been a chorus of very loud boos for the opposition!  The game commenced, and Exeter were awarded a penalty kick (don't ask me why, the laws of the game are a bit beyond me!)  When their kicker slotted the kick between the posts, registering 3 points for Exeter, again there was applause from the home fans!  I noted, also, that whenever a penalty kick is taken the stadium falls reverently quiet, allowing the kicker to concentrate.  When a penalty kick is awarded in football, the opposing fans make as much noise as they can in an attempt to put the kicker off.

One aspect of the experience which I very much appreciated was the fact that not once during the whole match did I hear any bad language or see any loutish behaviour.  On many occasions as a football supporter my enjoyment of the game has been spoilt by a constant stream of foul language from supporters, even if there are children nearby.  Some of the chants heard at football grounds can make one's stomach churn.  I noticed also that there is no segregation between home and away fans; they seem to happily co-exists together with no animosity.  Again, this contrasts sharply with the football experience, where the hatred and antagonism between opposing fans can be horrific.  In football there has to be clear segregation between the two sets of fans or people could get hurt.

Although I have always been a football fan, and I am probably unlikely to convert to rugby, I must say that the actual experience of being a rugby supporter was so much more enjoyable in many ways.  Rugby fans have a lot to teach the followers of football [and the behaviour of the rugby players, who never argued with the referee - even if they believed that he had made a mistake - put to shame the petulant, spoilt-brat behaviour of many footballers].  Certainly if my grandchildren asked me which game to follow I would encourage them to get along to their local rugby ground rather than be subjected to the behaviour of football fans!

I have been doing a lot of thinking about why it is that rugby fans behave so much better than their football counterparts.  However much I ponder the question, I can't come up with a good answer!   Sometimes alcohol is blamed for football violence, and that's why the sale of alcohol is usually strictly controlled (or even banned) within football grounds.  Yet at yesterday's rugby match, supporters were able to freely purchase alcohol in the stadium and even take it to consume in their seats!

Ultimately, I suppose, it boils down to the choices people make.  Far too many football fans (even is it is a smallish minority) make the choice to behave in a manner that falls well below acceptable standards, and can end up spoiling the enjoyment of others.  Rugby fans, on the other hand, clearly make the choice to concentrate on enjoying the game, and playing it in the right spirit. It's always easy to blame others for our own behaviour, but at the end of the day we all have to face up to the consequences of our own choices.  We would all do well to heed the words of St Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, 'Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.'

O to have a Tardis!

As I write this, it's a Saturday evening, and it's just over an hour until Doctor Who time!  I must admit to having been around when Doctor Who first arrived in the TV screens back in 1963, and have been enthralled by the series ever since.  1963 seems such a long time ago, and yet the series, now nearly 50 years old, appears to be as popular as ever.  It's certainly a favourite of mine.  I am the proud owner of a Tardis (sadly, not full size nor operational!) as well as two sonic screwdrivers (and even they don't seem to be as effective as the one used by the Doctor!)

I have often though how great it would be to have a Tardis which really works, one in which you could travel through space and time. Actually, I'm not particularly bothered about travelling through space; nor do I get excited at the thought of travelling forward in time.  I would love, however, to be able to travel back in time.  I think it would be great to travel back and witness some of the great events of history, and see how people lived in days gone by.

Perhaps even more exciting would be the opportunity to relive some events which I have experienced personally: my first day at school (even though I cried all the way there); the day I gave my life to Jesus Christ at the age of 5; my wedding day; the birth of our three children, and so many other special events.  It would also be wonderful to be able to travel back and talk again with family and friends who are no longer alive.

There is another reason why I would like to travel back in time: like most people, I have regrets.  There have been times when by my words or actions I have caused hurt to others; times when I have acted selfishly or impulsively and lived to regret my course of action.  Wouldn't it be good to be able to travel back in time and put things right?  The reality is, of course, that we can't.  Once the unkind words are out of our mouth we can't retrieve them; once the thoughtless e-mail has been sent, we can't pull it back; once the ill-judged action has been performed we can't undo it.

So if we can't go rewind and start again, what steps can we take?  For one thing, we can own up to what we have done and say sorry.  Saying sorry is rarely easy (just ask Nick Clegg), but it can make a big difference if we really mean it.  Secondly we can determine not to repeat what we have done.  Our saying sorry means little if we constantly repeat the offence.

None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes and do or say things which we regret.  Thank God that the Christian faith speaks of the possibility of forgiveness and the opportunity to start again.

Accepting who I am

What a summer of sport it's been!  Even some of those who are not really into sport have been enticed by the action which has been taking place over the past few months.  One of the events which seems to have really taken off in a big way this summer has been the Paralympic Games. The profile and media coverage given to this year's Paralympics has been significantly greater than on previous occasions. 

Wikipedia describes the Paralympics as being 'a major international multi-sport event, involving athletes with a range of physical and intellectual disabilities, including mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and cerebral palsy.'  One of the discussion points which has arisen out of the Paralympics has been society's response to people who have some form of disability.  As the nation has watched some amazing athletes compete in the Paralympics, many have been inspired by the courage, dedication, skill and perseverance on display. 

One of the most well known of the Paralympic athletes is South African Oscar Pistorius.  I love his quote, 'You're not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have,'  This is a challenge to us all: instead of focussing on the things we can't do, we would be far better off focussing on what we can do, and do it to our very best.

The truth is that in some way every human being at times feels that they have a 'disability'.  It may come when we know someone who is particularly gifted in some way and we beat ourselves up because we could never match their abilities.  I remember many years ago when I was in a particular church; the minister was a fantastic preacher and I longed to be able to preach like him; another friend had a great gift in sharing the gospel in a natural and effective way, and I longed to have that gift.

I have learnt over the years that we need to accept that God has made each person unique; it is no good wishing we were someone else.  God loves us just the way we are!  I have been encouraged recently by some words from John Cole, leader of the New Wine Christian network, and as I can't put these thoughts in a better way, I reproduce below some of his words.  He is talking about the inspiration of watching the Paralympic athletes:  

"Some were born with disability, others suffered it through accident or illness, but none allowed that loss to be the controlling factor of their lives. All were determined not to be defined or limited by their loss, but wanted to maximise their potential in their given state of life. I find that inspires and rebukes me. In keeping with many others, I don’t find it difficult to allow myself to think I am hampered by things that have happened in my past, or to be paralysed by envy of others around me who are more gifted than I. Consequently I become limited by wishing I was different. One legacy that I want the Paralympics to leave in my life is that I accept who I am, and really live my life to the full, becoming the person God has created me to be and achieving all that God has created me to do."

An important lesson for us all!

Directions for Life

One element of the normal work of a church minister is hospital visiting.  I must confess that before I became a Methodist minister I had an underlying dislike of hospitals.  I'm not sure why that was, as I have never been hospitalised.  Perhaps it had something to do with the 'hospital smell' which might have reminded me of the dentist (and I had some rather painful dentist's chair experiences as a child!)

Once I became a minister, I had very little choice about visiting hospitals, and over the years my reluctance to visit such places has dissipated.  In Doncaster I was quite fortunate in that the local hospital was only about 15 minutes walk from the manse, so I didn't have any problems either finding the hospital or trying to park nearby.

Now I'm in Leicester, and the situation is somewhat more complicated, not least in that there are 3 main hospitals!  One is fairly near where I am now living, the other two are in the city.  Yesterday I paid my first visit to the Leicester Royal Infirmary (in truth it wasn't my first visit, because Sue and I visited in early January just after Max, our first grandchild, had been born there).  There were two particular issues of which I was aware.  Firstly, the problem of finding the place, and secondly, where to park!  Unfortunately my sense of direction isn't brilliant (I have come to rely more and more on my satnav to get me from A to B).

I had been out in the morning to buy an A-Z, so at least I had some help in that respect.  I decided that rather than try to battle with the city centre traffic and struggle to find a car park, I would park on the outskirts of the city and walk to the hospital.  It happened to be a lovely sunny day, a good day for walking.  I duly parked the car and set off, map in hand.  I knew the general direction, and stopped periodically to make sure I was still on track.  As I approached the city centre I saw a large, hospital-looking building.  I tried to keep it in view and headed for it.

When I arrived at said building I discovered that it wasn't a hospital at all!  Fortunately, on checking my A-Z I discovered that I was fairly close to where the LRI actually was, and soon managed to make my way there.  I then discovered that the LRI is a rather large and complicated building.  In fact, it is made up of several buildings, each with its own name and wards.  I was glad that I had been given helpful instructions about which buildings and wards the two people I were visiting were situated in.  After trawling along what seemed like endless corridors, I eventually reached my destination.  And after the visits I managed to make my way back to the car (it was a hot day so I called in a shop and bought myself a cornetto!)

I eventually arrived home rather tired, but satisfied that I had accomplished what I had set out to do.  As I was reflecting on my experience, I was reminded of something which I had read recently, in which it was stated that there are 3 things we need to help us make the journey through life.  Firstly, we need God's word, the Bible.  Through the Bible God speaks to us and gives us guidance for living.  Secondly, we need prayer.  Through prayer was can both speak to God and allow him to speak to us (one of the images used for God in the Bible is of the Good Shepherd, who leads, guides and protects his sheep).  Thirdly, we need to listen to wise advice from friends.  I know that I couldn't get through life without these 3 key elements.  And without my A-Z and ward instructions yesterday, I would probably have been still searching for the LRI!

A New Chapter begins

Some time ago I received a Kindle as a present.  I was a little sceptical at first, and wondered whether I would take to reading electronic versions of books.  Over the months I've come to really appreciate my Kindle in several ways.  For example, I was able to download a particular book onto my Kindle which wasn't available in the UK as a physical book.  I've just downloaded another book in a few seconds which would probably have taken several days to get hold of in the 'old-fashioned' way!  A Kindle is also extremely handy when going on holiday - it weighs much less than the several books I might normally have taken with me! And yet, although I love my Kindle, I have to say that it isn't quite the same as holding an actual book in one's hand.  I especially enjoy the look and feel of old books, something which the Kindle just can't replicate.

I like to read books which inspire; I find biographies particularly interesting, giving as they do an insight into the lives of both famous and not-so-famous people.  Although most of my reading is non-fiction, I do sometimes read fiction.  I like to discover a book which I find hard to put down - the kind of book which, when you come to the end of a chapter, you can't wait to get started on the next one!

Tomorrow is officially the first day of a new phase of my life and ministry in Leicester; in effect, a new chapter begins.   The previous 12-year-long chapter of my life and ministry in Doncaster has come to an end, a brand new chapter is about to be written.  I can look back now on the last chapter and remember some of the highs and lows, the blessings and the struggles, and rejoice that although that period is ended, many memories remain.  As I look forward to the new chapter which is about to unfold, I can see very little!  I don't know in what way the future will be revealed.  And yet, even though there is so much uncertainty about the way ahead, I am filled with excitement and anticipation, mostly due to the fact that I know that God is in it.

Sue and I both felt that God was saying to us quite a while ago that the time had come to bring to a conclusion one chapter of our lives, our time in Doncaster.  As we sought his guidance for the next chapter, again we both felt that he was leading us to Leicester.  Now we are here and the work begins (in at the deep end, as I am conducting a wedding on my first day!)

On reflection, it seems to me that all of us face a big question: who do we want to be the 'author' of our lives?  Frank Sinatra's famous song, 'My Way' has become increasingly popular in recent years as a song to be played at funerals.  Whilst I quite like Sinatra, I find it rather sad when that particular song is chosen for a funeral.  When one looks at the world around us, it is so obvious that the vast majority of the word's problems exist because human beings have chosen their own way of doing things rather than God's way (choosing our own way instead of God's way is what the Bible calls sin).

As I begin a new chapter of my life, my heart's desire is to allow God to be the scriptwriter, and to seek to follow his directions.  I am sure that there will be times when I mess up, when I get things wrong, and when I foolishly choose my own script rather than God's.  The good news is that God is brilliant at weaving even our mistakes and wrongdoings in a way which gets the script back on course!  I am excited to discover what God has in store; and as I ponder the future, into my mind has come some words from a song:

My tongue will be the pen of a ready writer
And what the Father gives to me I'll sing
I only want to be His breath
I only want to glorify the King.

. 

God is watching you!

Normally, one of the first things one does after having moved to a new area is to work out where certain places are in relation to one's new home.  For example, not long after we moved to our new home in Leicester, I discovered that our local Post Office is only a short walk away (the internet can be amazingly helpful in locating places, and it was through the internet that I managed to locate our nearest Post Office).  With instructions in hand, I managed to arrive at the Post Office within a few minutes; something I saw on the journey really made me think.

As I neared the Post Office, I glanced around at the houses along the street, and noticed that attached to one particular house was a garage; on the door of the garage was painted the words, "God Is Watching You".

Not the usual kind of thing one might expect to find painted on a garage door!  So what do you make of the message?  Seeing it, I was immediately reminded of a plaque which we used to have on the wall at home when I was a little boy, which read: "Christ is the head of this house; the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation."  As a little boy I was quite happy with the notion of Christ being the head of the house, and also with the image of him being with us as we ate family meals.  The thought of Christ being a "silent listener to every conversation", however, I found a little bit creepy.  I wasn't sure that I wanted Christ to hear my every conversation!

Over the years, as I have grown in my knowledge of God and in my relationship with him, I have come to see that although the message painted on the garage door is perfectly true, it isn't something of which to be fearful or anxious.  The author of Psalm 139 writes of God,  

When my bones were being formed,
    carefully put together in my mother's womb,
when I was growing there in secret,
  You knew that I was there— 
    You saw me before I was born.

Jesus himself remarked that God's knowledge of us us so intimate that he even knows how many hairs are on our head!  The reality is that every action we have ever undertaken, every word we have spoken, and even every thought we have had, are known to God.  Over the course of my life there must have been many actions, words and thoughts which I have regretted.  And yet, although God knows all about them, he is not a God who stands over us with a big stick ready to beat us up whenever we get things wrong.

Yes, he does hate it when we human beings hurt each other, however that hurt is manifested.  When we hurt one another we hurt God, too.  But the message of the Christian gospel is that through his Son Jesus Christ, God offers us grace and forgiveness, and the opportunity to begin again.

Not only that, but God promises that from the moment we commit our lives to Christ, he will be our constant companion, to guide, encourage and strengthen.  The message, "God is watching you" is good news when we understand his love and care for us.  

As Sue and I begin a new period of our lives in new surroundings here in Leicester, the thought that God is watching over us is of immense comfort and support.

What will you do with the rest of your life?

I was privileged to serve for 5 years as chaplain to Doncaster Rovers F.C.  My recent move to Leicester meant that I had to relinquish the role; it is an area of my ‘pre-Leicester’ life which I will miss.

The world of professional football tends to have rather a ‘macho’ image, and those involved can face the temptation to try and hide their true feelings and emotions.  However, an incident which occurred earlier in the year clearly broke through that false barrier.  Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, aged 24, collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest on 17 March during Bolton's FA Cup quarter-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur.

Doctors were later reported as saying that Muamba was "in effect dead" for 78 minutes.  Many people around the country, including fellow professionals and others involved in the game, passed round the message “Pray for Muamba”.  Miraculously, Muamba survived, and was eventually discharged from hospital on 16 April.

Fabrice Muamba hoped that one day he would be able to resume his football career.  However, having taken specialist medical advice, he has recently announced his retirement from football, stating, "While the news is devastating, I have much to be thankful for.  I thank God that I am alive and I pay tribute once again to the members of the medical team who never gave up on me."

In reading the report, I was particularly interested in a comment from Bolton F.C. Chairman, Phil Gartside, "To have Fabrice here and with us is truly amazing and we are all very thankful for that.  The most important thing is that Fabrice and his family have the rest of their lives ahead of them."  The statement recognises that there are some things in life which are much more important than football.

The situation which Fabrice Muamba faced in such a public way reminds us of the fragility of human life.  Every day is a precious gift from God, which we ought to treasure and never take for granted.  Of course, Phil Gartside’s comment that Muamba and his family “have the rest of their lives before them” is true of us all.  But none of us know how long we have left of our earthly lives!

The big question is, what are we going to do with the rest of our lives?  I was very challenged recently by some words from Joyce Meyer, “Make a decision that no matter how long it takes or how hard it is, you are going to be all that God wants you to be.”  Surely that’s what really matters, isn’t it?