How can I say thanks?

What an unforgettable week I’ve just had!  But before I explain, let me take you back around 17 months to April last year, when I received the shocking news that my younger brother, Phil, had been diagnosed with terminal cancer of the oesophagus, and given very few months to live.  All the doctors could offer was palliative care, with no hope of a cure.  Naturally it was devastating news for Phil’s immediate and wider family, and also for his many friends.  What made it even worse for his family in the UK was that Phil lives in New Zealand, where he is National Director of Church Army.

Though much prayer was mobilised for Phil, his condition deteriorated over time, and for several months he was only able to feed through a tube.  Things got so bad that Phil felt that his earthly life was drawing to a close.  Then, remarkably, things began to change for the better, until there came a time when he could eat normally again.  Although Phil isn’t yet cancer free, his health has improved to such an extent that he and his family were able to spend three weeks touring Europe, culminating in a trip to the UK.

Last Saturday we hosted a large gathering at our home, when family members gathered to meet up with Phil, his wife Monika, and their children Mike and Emily.  It was a glorious occasion, and we even managed to have a Barbeque before the rains came and sent us scuttling indoors! 

Monika and Mike had to head back to New Zealand the following day, and Emily travelled up to Liverpool to meet up with friends.  Phil spoke at our Sunday morning service, sharing his testimony of God’s faithfulness over the past year and a half, and some of the lessons he had learned through the period.  Many people were moved by what Phil shared with us.

Then Phil and I, along with my wife Sue (and we were later joined by Emily) were able to spend a couple of days in Scarborough.  Scarborough is a place which is very special indeed to me and Phil, not least through our happy memories of several childhood holidays spent there.  We were blessed with some lovely, sunny weather, and had a wonderful time, sampling the atmosphere, enjoying the sunshine, with lots of reminiscing.   

On the way back to Leicester, we called in to see our 93-year-old Mum, who has recently had to go into a nursing home.  She is very frail, and her memory is failing, but we found her in good heart and full of life.  She even clapped her hands in joy to see her two boys together!

Phil and Emily left yesterday to travel back to New Zealand.  Saying goodbye wasn’t easy, but the blessings of the last few days will remain long in the memory.

A few weeks ago I was asked to do a “Desert Island Discs” at one of my churches.  I found it a fascinating experience having to look over my life, and recalling memories from through the years.  It made me realise how blessed I’ve been.  Yes, there have been some really bad times, when I’ve struggled to see the way forward and felt that life was crushing me, but I have so many positive memories to treasure.  I have been blessed with my family and the many friends I’ve made along the way.

It wasn’t easy to select the pieces of music to go with my Desert Island Discs spot, but I decided to choose pieces which had relevance to elements of my life’s journey.  To finish with, I played a song by the late Andre Crouch.  It expresses perfectly the thought that every blessing of my life, and anything I’ve been able to achieve, I owe it all to God (I’ve told Sue that I want it playing at my funeral service!).  You can listen to it here.

How can I say thanks for the things
You have done for me?
Things so undeserved, yet you gave
To prove your love for me.
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude.
All that I am, and ever hope to be,
I owe it all to thee.

To God be the glory, to God be the glory,
To God be the glory for the things he has done.
With his blood he has saved me,
With his power he has raised me;
To God be the glory for the things he has done.
Just let me live my life and
Let it be pleasing, Lord, to thee;
And if I gain any praise, let it go to Calvary.
With his blood he has saved me,
With his power he has raised me,
To God be the glory for the things he has done.

Rio reflections

One of the benefits of having recently spent a couple of weeks on holiday was that the break coincided with the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.  This meant that we could manage to watch a fair amount of the coverage, and even, on occasions, stay up into the early hours for particular events, knowing that we wouldn’t have to feel guilty having a lie-in to recover!

Overall, this has been an excellent Games for the British team.  Remarkably, the team have come away with more medals than they achieved during the 2012 London Olympics, and came second in the medals table, finishing above China.  Some have called Britain a “sporting superpower.”

For some competitors, their four years of hard work and preparation has paid off, with their dreams of Olympic gold having been realised, and there have been some outstanding successes.  Mo Farah managed to accomplish the “double-double, having repeated his 2012 gold medal success in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres; Andy Murray was among a number of British athletes who were able to gain a second successive Olympic gold medal in their event.  Max Whitlock became the most successful ever British gymnast, winning two individual gold medals and a team bronze. The British women’s hockey team won a dramatic penalty shoot-out in their final match against the Netherlands, amidst scenes of great joy and celebration.  The British cycling team’s achievements were astounding, with the “golden couple” of Jason Kenny and Laura Trott now having won 10 Olympic gold medals between them.  The list of successes was a long one.

For others, however, their dreams lie in tatters, some losing out by the tiniest of margins.  Adam Gemili, for example, came fourth in the 100 metres race, declaring himself to be gutted at missing out on a bronze medal by a mere three one thousandths of a second.  Lutalo Muhammad led his taekwondo bout until almost the last second when his opponent overtook him with a scoring kick, leaving the British athlete distraught and in tears.  Well-known diver Tom Daley stated that he was heartbroken at failing to reach the final of the 10m platform diving competition, despite being one of the favourites for gold.

In a sense, of course, the varying experiences of the British Olympians reflect the realities of life in general.  Every person’s life has its ups and downs, its successes and failures, its good times and its very tough times.  The important question for us all is how we manage to deal with whatever life throws at us.  Some gold medal winners may feel that the pinnacle of their sporting career has been reached and they can now rest on their laurels; for others, it will be an incentive to strive for even greater success in the future.  Perhaps some who experienced bitter disappointment will have been scarred forever by the experience; others will find failure to be a driving force for the future.

The apostle Paul wrote this to Christians in Philippi, ‘I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength’ (Phil. 4:11-13).  Paul found his strength, purpose and fulfillment in his relationship with Christ, which meant that the ups and downs of life didn’t shake his confidence.

However wonderful it must be to win an Olympic gold medal, there is something of far greater and lasting value to which we are called.  Paul himself uses the image of an athlete when he writes, ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever’ (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).  What we have in relationship with Christ Jesus is of far greater and more lasting value than an Olympic gold medal!

Why Banksy is so wrong

It's probably true to say that the name of Banksy is one of the most well-known and widely recognised names in the UK.  At the same time, he is a mysterious character who appears to shy away from the limelight.  He is, of course, most well-known as a graffiti artist, and his works have changed hands for significant sums.  Despite the mystery surrounding his true identity, Banksy is also known as a political activist and commentator.  His Twitter account has almost 1.5 million followers, indicating that people are eager to know what he thinks about various issues.

I am one of his Twitter followers;  some of the things he comes out with are very thought-provoking and can be quite inspiring.  I have a feeling that I've used one of his tweets as a conversation piece for a previous blog.  When I read one of Banksy's latest tweets, however, I found it to be desperately sad:

LOVE YOURSELF. IN THE END YOU ARE ALL THAT YOU'VE GOT. YOU LIVE AND DIE ALONE. EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN IS TEMPORARY. LOVE YOURSELF FIRST.

Isn't that such a bleak outlook on human existence?  It seems devoid of hope, and a person without hope is in a desperate state.  The writer of the Biblical book of Proverbs states, 'Hope deferred makes the heart sick' (Proverbs 13:12).

I would love to have the opportunity to chat with Banksy and discover where the thought came from.  Although he is well known and admired for his artwork, the picture he paints with those words is very bleak indeed.  It is a picture of terrible isolation, with the underlying thought that ultimately there is no-one else who cares or who can be relied upon.  The image of a world in which the only true love is self-love is incredibly sad.

Thank God (literally) that the message of the Bible is so different.  The next sermon I will preach (already prepared before I read Banksy's comment) happens to be based on the call of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, when God utters these incredible words to the young Jeremiah,  

Before I formed you in the womb,
    I knew you.
Before you were born,
    I set you apart.

God's knowledge of us is so intimate, so astounding.   Later in the book of Jeremiah, God speaks these comforting words through his prophet, 'I love you with an everlasting love.'  God's love for us is not temporary, something which he might withdraw at a whim.  It is not based on what we deserve or on our good deeds.  God loves us because that is his nature ('God is love.')

Human love can be inconsistent.  There may be those who claim to love us who hurt us deeply by words or actions.  We may sometimes feel deeply betrayed by someone close to us, and at times we may believe that we are all alone in the world.  Yet the marvellous truth is that we have a loving Father God who loves us with an eternal love.  Jesus came to reveal the Father's love for us, and he did so supremely when he laid down his life for us.  Through faith in him we are brought into God's family and come to know him as our loving heavenly Father.

I can only echo the words of the songwriter Ian Smale:


Father God I wonder, how I managed to exist
Without the knowledge of your parenthood,
And your loving care.
But now I am your child, I am adopted in your family
And I will never be alone cause,
Father God you're there beside me.
And I will, sing your praises
I will sing your praises,
I will sing your praises,
Forevermore.

When you are old and your hair is gray

I was concerned by post-Referendum comments relating to what some saw as the undue influence which older voters had had on the result.  The following headline appeared over an article in The Independent: ‘How old people have screwed over the younger generation.’  One young person tweeted, ‘I want to shout out all the old people who voted to ruin my future and the futures of generations to come.’ These are just two typical examples among many, and these kind of comments greatly concern me.

They concern me, firstly, because they imply that when older people cast their vote they were doing so for purely selfish motives.  I get the point that, on average, younger people have more years left to live on planet earth than older people, and therefore will have longer to live with the consequences of the Brexit vote.  But when I cast my vote I was very aware that the outcome would affect the lives of my children and grandchildren, and I have no reason to doubt that many older people also bore in mind such thoughts when they voted.

Of more concern to me, however, is the more general point about how our society often regards older people.  Phrases such as “had their day” and “passed it” are not uncommon.  In the Old Testament book of Leviticus, we read these words, ‘Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the Lord’ (Leviticus 19:32).  Clearly, God’s desire is that older people are to be respected and treated with honour.  Equally clearly (and very sadly), this is often not the case in our modern society.  Ageism is very much alive.

For some, approaching old age can be worrying.  Respected Christian leader John Stott, who died at the age of 90, was quoted as saying “I knew I had to prepare for eternity, but no-one told me I had to prepare for being old.”  Billy Graham, who is still alive at the age of 97, said this: “All my life I was taught how to die as a Christian, but no one ever taught me how I ought to live in the years before I die … It is not easy.”

To disrespect a person because of their age is a denial of who they are in the sight of God, whether that be as seen in Paul’s advice to his young protégé Timothy (‘Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young’) or with regard to older people.  Older people have so much to offer, as Job understood, ‘Is not wisdom found among the aged?  Does not long life bring understanding?’ (Job 12:12).  Clearly God sees great value in older people: ‘I am your God and will take care of you [when] you are old and your hair is gray.  I made you and will care for you’ (Isaiah 46:4).

A society which disregards and disrespects its elderly is a society that is sick at heart.  Yesterday I visited my 93-year-old mum in hospital following a fall she had at home.  The experience has left her rather confused and disoriented.  While I was sitting with her, a member of the nursing staff came to take her blood pressure etc.  As I listened to the conversation which went on between the nurse and my elderly, confused mum, I was noticed with great pleasure how the nurse treated mum with great compassion and dignity.  Mum was treated as someone of value.  If only our society as a whole could follow that example.