Embarrassing Key Moment

I had been on the road for a few consecutive days and had managed to aquire some unwanted litter in the car. The odd empty rolling water bottle, some chocolate wrappers and a discarded pack of Walkers finest (to avoid the perception of me favouring one snack manufacturer over another it’s important that I point out that there are also other crisp producers) and so as I pulled into the petrol station to satisfy my thirsty vehicle, I decided to make use of the bin on the forecourt.

I stopped the car, removed the key and began to gather the offending items, clutching them in my hands as I continued to de-clutter. Hands full I proceeded to the bin and dropped everything in. On returning to the car I began to feel in my pockets for the key. It wasn’t there – I must have left it in the car. I searched the car – under the seats, in every gap and even lifted out the carpets but I couldn’t find anything. I checked my pockets again before looking around on the floor of the petrol station forecourt. Nothing!

I repeated all of these steps numerous times, convinced that each new search would be more thorough than the last. By now the staff in the shop were staring out of the window trying to work out what I was doing. I had been parked for some time, had put no fuel in the car and was causing the traffic to back up behind me. They looked perplexed.

I looked towards the bin that had so gratefully received my rubbish – surely I hadn’t dropped the key in also? I walked over to it and peered through the little gap –I thought I would be able to fit my hand in. As I reached in I was greeted by some unfamiliar textures – it was like a poor version of a bush tucker trial in a famous TV show. I felt the crisp packet, located one of the empty drink bottles but just couldn’t find the key. A wide range of onlookers were now giving me some very strange looks.

I needed to take the lid off the bin but it was locked – I decided it was time to explain my suspicious actions to the staff. Their eyes followed me all the way to the tills where I proceeded to share my plight. ‘Do you have a key for the bin please’? I asked.

A very friendly (if not slightly chuckling) lady followed me back towards the bin and turned the lock with her key. We pulled the lid off and lifted out the entire contents. I rummaged through, sure that it would be easy to spot – the lady put on her latex gloves and joined in. We now had quite an audience. I began to wonder if I had failed to search the car properly and had caused all this fuss in error – just then a big beaming smile came across the ladies face as she held up the key!!!!

This was indeed a moment of celebration – once lost, condemned to the rubbish bin but now found, able to engage in its true destiny once again. A little ‘jig’ would have surely been appropriate in front of the watching crowd but I resisted and simply whispered a prayer of thanks.

How often do we mistake useful things with things that should be thrown out? Have we lost some valuable traditions in the process of a church de-clutter? We need to get rid of that which is no longer of value but let’s not confuse them with things that still have current worth. Have we convinced ourselves that we have no value, have we looked at ourselves or others and written them off? Jesus wants to rescue those who have been thrown away. He sees our value and came to relentlessly seek and save our lost and discarded lives. Not only has He saved us but He’s passionately committed to restoring our lives to fulfil great purposes and plans once again. This may be a good moment to do a little ‘jig’ or whisper a new prayer of thanks!

Raising your game

It had been a terrific day in so many ways. The bride had turned up on time, the ‘I do’s’ and ‘I will’s’ all came out in the right order, the sun had radiated its’ beams on cue and the parents of the bride had come out of the day without administrators filing for their bankruptcy. To top off what had been a great wedding, a Ceilidh had been arranged into the wee hours of the morning. (for those who are not sure what a Ceilidh is, imagine lots of rhythm-less  people trying to follow a bearded man shouting out complex instructions, involving intricate footsteps and body movements – all accompanied by fiddling folk music!).

Our kids had lasted well - stuffed with more buffet food than is surely good for them and fizzing with E numbers from their steady stream of soft drinks. But now they were ready to drop and they required a little assistance from dad in order to make their way to the car before a long drive home.

We normally keep quite a strict routine in our home regarding bed times and this was certainly a significant exception - one that has often been referred to. In fact whenever a late night was proposed in the following years, they would ask the question ‘will it be later than the wedding?’ The exceptional late night experience had set a ‘benchmark’ – something they would use for years to come in order to measure true lateness.

Benchmarks can be such experiences that set a standard – a standard that ‘things’ either rise to and exceed, or fall short of and miss. They create definition of what we would either like to achieve or avoid – articulating our hopes and expectations. We all create them - benchmarks that set ‘our’ standard.

I enjoy playing the piano and I’ve played in various bands (although I lacked the foot tapping skills for a ceilidh band) over the years. In some of these bands I may have been perceived as one of the stronger musicians – possibly a benchmark? I would try and help others in developing their musical abilities in order to see their standard rise. But I was in danger – I had reached my own standard and was consistently satisfying my own expectations. Complacency, mediocrity and apathy often lurk around the corner in such circumstances and all of these become a real anaesthetic in our lives. I needed a new benchmark!

I remember feeling my jaw dropping as I looked on in amazement at the piano keys being played at super speed at a Jools Holland concert – it was so inspiring. I had never seen the piano played in that way before. I also remember feeling astounded when I began to play with some professional musicians who were light years beyond me in their ability. They pushed me and made me feel like a learner again but it was good - So often feeling like a ‘comfortable pro’ can be more dangerous than feeling like a ‘developing learner’. I valued the ‘L’ plates that I had reapplied and knew that the impending sedative of complacency was gone – a new benchmark had indeed been set.

Maybe there are others who consider ‘us’ to be their benchmark of Christian spirituality. They look on desirous to learn from our example, hoping to rise to the heights they may have perceived in us. Maybe we’re aware of the way they look to us and so do all we can to assist them on their journey. It’s good to realise they are there and look in their direction. The apostle Paul in 1 Corinth 11:1 faced all those looking up to him and said ‘Follow my example’. For many this missionary journeying, faith filled church planter had become their benchmark.

But Paul wasn’t complacent. He goes on to say ‘Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ’. Despite all his achievements, all his acts of adventure, all the crowds who hung onto his words, Paul had another benchmark – the person of Christ Jesus.

Does your benchmark needs raising? Do you need to be in the presence of a higher standard? Can you see a pacesetter ahead of you? Ask Jesus to renew your vision of him and reveal a new level through others who are ahead of you in their Christ following journey. Don’t let complacency create a premature finishing line in your life – there is more of the journey to travel.

Take a Break!

I’m often found sampling the great British tarmac on motorways across the country. Some of them feel more like car parks at times but given the choice I would probably prefer to drive in a morning traffic jam than I would on a late night empty road.

Dark roads, tired eyes and engaging late night radio ‘phone ins’ were all fine a few years ago but something has changed.  I may start out ok as the adrenaline is still flowing from the previous meeting and my mind is captivated with gratefulness to God for impacting lives. But as the journey progresses and the clock on my dashboard creeps into the early hours of the morning, my eyes begin to feel sleepy.

My ‘sat nav’ reminds me that I have a further two hours of travel to complete before I creep into my sleepy home and I begin to think of some strategies that could hold back the onslaught of tiredness. I move a few dials on the heating system and the fans begin to throw cold air into my face – it has a momentary effect on me – I sit up straight in my seat and begin to focus clearly but quickly the windscreen begins to complain that it’s not getting enough warm air and refuses to remove its internal fog of condensation until I meet its need.

The heater is turned back on and compensated for by opening the driver’s door window. As the two temperatures battle it out, the monotony of unlit roads, the waning adrenaline and the fact that I’ve had too many early mornings and late nights begins to grip me once again. I’ll put some loud music on – I’ll sing along, who in the world has ever been able to sleep when loud music is being played. It works and as I look at the predicted length of the remainder of my journey I see I only have 1 hour and 55 minutes to go.

I notice that my singing is more of a slur now – maybe what I need is a stimulating news item on the radio. I scan through the channels and find something mildly interesting to engage my mind. I sit up straight in my seat once again and begin to think of the issues I am hearing. I’m moved by the sad stories, inspired by the heroes contained within but within seconds I feel my eye lids getting heavier and realise that I didn’t really hear any of the last few sentences.

‘Tiredness Kills’ I read – ‘take a break’. The next services are five miles away and I must stay focussed till I get there. I find a bag of sweets, bought earlier at the fuel station and begin to chew on them in the hope of an energy rush from the sugar. I feel a rumbling under the tyres as I realise I have verged too close to the hard shoulder – services only 2 miles to go.

I’ve never been so glad to indicate left and pull into the deserted car park of an overpriced facility. The sweets, cold air, radio debate and even the questionable practise of slapping myself in the face were unable to break the impending sleepiness. What next – should I lay my seat back and sleep for a little while? Should I purchase multiple shots of expresso? I conclude there is a time for everything – and right now it is time to sleep. I recline in my seat, close my eyes and lay there enjoying a quiet rest away from the stresses of driving.

It may not be a late night drive for you – it may be the sluggish pace of your work in the office or dulled thinking in the classroom. You may feel like you’re not matching up to your own aspirations for being alert and sharp. God ordained that within the rhythm of our lives that there should be times when we pull over and take a break. We all need to have times when we withdraw from the stresses and strains and draw on Gods refreshing within our lives. Maybe that’s what you need right now.

After a 30 minute snooze in the car and a strong coffee I set out on the remainder of my journey, reinvigorated, ready and renewed for the next stage of my journey.

A bundle of joy!

‘What was that you said?’

‘I’m sorry I don’t understand what you mean?’

‘Please say that again in a way I can understand’

‘I haven’t got a clue what you’re talking about’

In our minds we may know exactly what we mean. It’s crystal clear to us, obvious in fact. Simple, perceivable and surely understandable – but something can often go wrong when we attempt to communicate it to others. Instead of our illuminated thoughts switching lights on in the understanding of others, it can seem that we have simply managed to draw the curtains in their mind and created a haze of perplexed misunderstandings.

I have a friend who had been encouraged by others in his church to join them for an after meeting takeaway. The dish of choice was a mixed meat kebab and although the experience was new to him, it was quite a regular custom for the others. As they sat in the service listening to a scintillating message their rumbling stomachs ached for the moment that was drawing ever closer – the moment where they would feast on their ‘bundle of joy!’ That’s what they called it – the delights of this pitta bread stuffed with chicken, lamb, salad and oozing with spicy sauce had been given its own nickname.

After the service they made their way to the takeaway and talked freely about their inevitable ‘bundle of joy’. My friends anticipation grew as he looked forward to experiencing this for the first time. He made sure he was at the front of the queue and aware that he had the attention of the obliging worker the other side of the counter asked ‘can I have a bundle of joy please?’

The others rolled around the floor with hysterical laughter and my friend wondered what was going on. Why were they laughing? Why was the man serving him looking so confused? ‘Bundle of joy?’ he asked ‘What are you talking about?’ The others were now holding their stomachs with muscle cramp from the laughter. ‘A bundle of joy’ my friend repeated – ‘one of those please’ pointing to a picture of what he had seen in his mind all along. ‘You mean a mixed meat kebab – why didn’t you say that in the first place?’

So often the church can have its own language – expressing real things in ways that mean real things to us. But to those outside the church in the Post-Christendom world we are now living, the response can often be ‘What are you talking about?’ But rather than asking us to clarify what we mean, they just walk off confused with their understanding dulled.

Romans 10:14 asks how people can believe unless they hear - but this cannot just be the resonance of an audio sound in their ears – it must be the communication of a truth with their understanding and for many people today this will involve example – it will call for us to point to an articulated picture of what we mean, a story, a testimony as an expression of what we are trying to communicate.

Do our neighbours, families and communities know what we’re talking about? Do they understand us or our churches? Faced with stares of perplexed faces that are simply confused about God, these are great questions to ask. Let’s be patient, creative and authentic as we seek to express what we mean with living stories of what the gospel means and what it can also mean for others.

Simple words with special outcomes

The day had seemed longer than it had actually been and now my feet were aching. I wanted the shopping trip I was accompanying my wife on to finish. I didn’t want to entertain another moment of browsing and regular glances at my watch communicated this clearly.

‘Just one more shop’ I heard, but I was sure I had heard that somewhere before. We walked into the local branch of a famous department store and headed towards the counter of a well known skin-care range of products. The atmosphere was alive with an intoxicating mix of scents and the staff all wore their multiple layers of foundation cream very well. ‘Can I help you?’ a friendly voice enquired.

My wife began to take her up on this offer of assistance and I could tell from the direction of their interaction that this could be a long visit in this ‘just one more shop’. Another member of staff joined in and my wife seemed to be in her element having two people help her spend money. I may have had one eye on the approaching expiry time of our car park ticket but I couldn’t help but be impressed by the way these two shop assistants were engaging.

I pointed at my watch and nodded at my wife and she knew it was time to bring this shopping fest to an end. She picked up the items she wanted to purchase and the two staff accompanied her to the till where she paid for them. I was looking forward to retrieving the car without any penalties when my wife threw a spanner in the works. ‘Would it be possible to see your manager please’ she enquired of the staff. My hopes of a swift exit were dashed and the two staff members looked perplexed, even worried. Had they done or said something wrong?

They put a call out for the manageress who arrived with her ‘shield and armour’ ready to face the barrage of another customer complaint. ‘I just wanted to commend your staff’ my wife said. The ‘shield’ dropped and a sense of the unexpected could be felt. ‘In all my years of retail work, I have never come across customer service as good as I have experienced from these two members of your staff today – I just wanted to say thank you’. It was a lovely moment and I could tell it had made their day. As we exited the shop for a very brisk walk to the car I commended her for doing such a lovely thing.

When we arrived back home I could hear my wife on the phone in the next room. She was now phoning the head office of the department store giving the names of the two staff members and lavishing praise on them for their excellence. The lady on the other end of the phone in the customer services department expressed that she had received lots of complaining calls throughout that day and was feeling quite affected, but that ‘this call’ had made her day.

The following week we were visiting the store again and as soon as we walked through the doors, these staff came towards us and gave us a big hug. One of them began to share some of the challenges she had faced recently but when she came into work at the beginning of the week, their names were printed on the wall of the staff room with a congratulatory message. With tears in her eyes she said ‘that is the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me!’

The bible encourages us to ‘Let our conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt’ (Col 4:6). Christians can often be perceived as judgemental, complaining and highly skilled at articulating what is wrong and while there may be a ‘time for everything’, there is definitely a call for each of us to ‘season our conversation with grace’ and look out for opportunities to communicate the taste of Gods grace to others.

We’ve had some great conversations with these staff and we’ve had further opportunities to share the love of God. We don’t believe this story is quite finished yet...

But it’s a story that wouldn’t have started if I had followed my tired feet. The story began with my wife being a blessing by seasoning her conversation with the inspired grace of God. We can all be too busy, too self absorbed, too concerned with our own demands and aware of our own ‘tired feet’ and miss the opportunity to start stories. Let’s reach beyond ourselves and offer encouragement and blessing to others. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we were known for the traces of grace that we leave behind in every conversation?

Heaven and Earth - tensions for headspace

The space in my head has limitations. It’s like a soft sponge cake (no insults please) that can only be cut up into so many portions before it runs out. Lots of issues and people are vying for their own slice and I sometimes I feel like I need a ‘feeding of the five thousand’ miracle – I would be delighted if I could have 12 baskets of leftovers! I know I have limitations and restrictions and like us all I can simply run out.

As well as the demands of others, I have my own wants and desires that place demands on me – managing these can be even more challenging. One of my simple pleasures in life is a compulsion to know as much about what is going on in the world as possible. This drives me to instinctively reach for my smart phone as soon as my alarm clock announces the dawn of a new day to catch up with the breaking day’s headlines. I scan through subjects of world affairs, UK politics, technological announcements, entertainment news, sporting headlines and the local news – all on my tiny hand held device before a single grain of caffeine has even participated in my morning.

Sure that I am now familiarised with the main things taking place in this world I make my way to the kitchen to rectify the caffeine situation. I promptly put on the radio where the issues I had just read are being discussed. After making the family breakfast, fulfilling other morning duties and delving into my daily bible reading I may even get chance to switch on the TV to see videos playing of these same headlines.

Throughout the day I have ‘twitter’ to help inform me of any further developments of the day’s news. On arriving home I will try and catch up with the evening news – most days there has been little change but I still find it fascinating hearing the headlines and seeing interviews with experts and reporters about latest perspectives. Later that night I may get an opportunity to watch the late news, observe the ‘Question Time’ mob and even watch ‘Paxman’ maul his interviewees.

Informed I may be. Aware of world developments, trends and perspectives may make me feel connected and of course this is not all together a bad thing. But I have a limited ‘cake’ of thinking space, energy and perspective and God has challenged me about how much of that I’m dedicating his way.

Colossians 3: 2 hit me between the eyes saying ‘Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth’. Now we all know the saying that says of someone that they’re ‘too heavenly minded for any earthly use’ but honestly that is usually meant for people who are just being a bit ‘wierd’ – you know the ones who insist their breakfast choice of ‘Weetabix’ was the result of a direct revelation from God or the odd socks they are wearing was the result of a prophetic instruction from the Holy Spirit. God wasn’t challenging me to join their ranks and become a ‘spiritual funny-bunny’ but he was challenging me whether I knew as much of what was taking place in His kingdom as I knew about this world. I may be up to date with likely trends across a multitude of areas but was I as aware of what God was planning on doing? Was my insight prophetic and insightful? Was the predominance of my thinking committed to setting my mind on ‘things above’?

I thought about just how much ‘cake’ I was giving to follow ‘earthly things’ and decided it was way too much – most of it was repetition of the same story anyway. For me it was limiting how often I would engage with the news but that may not be your issue. For you it may be something else – your work, your hobby, your sports team, your social media, your gadgets, your craft making – none of these things are wrong and I’m really not suggesting that they are – but maybe like me you feel challenged about whether you’re giving the best bit of your ‘cake’ to the ‘things that are above’. Look up and enjoy the start of a new day!

Derren Brown - Miracles for Sale?

Derren Brown, the ‘innovative entertainer’ has captivated audiences for years with his mind games, illusions and trickery. His latest project was shown on Easter Monday on Channel 4 in the UK and targets so called ‘Faith Healers’.

In trailing the programme Derren says 'You are about to see a world where greed and deceit raise their ugly heads, where lives have been needlessly lost and where hope, the most precious gift of all is pedalled at a price....’ The project featured an actor being given a crash course in biblical heresy, shown techniques on manipulating audiences and taught charlatan trickery on how to appear to heal people from deafness,blindness and shortened limbs.

Thought 1:
If people are manipulating the vulnerable and needy to satisfy their ‘Greed’ then I’m with Derren in wanting them to be exposed. Certainly the people shown on the programme wouldn’t be given any opportunity to speak from platforms of any churches I am aware of.
If anyone is knowingly claiming ‘cheap tricks’ as miracles from God, then they need to be brought to account. Lies, manipulation and deceit have no place in the Gospel of Jesus.


Thought 2:
There were significant generalisations in the programme that reflected a real lack of research. The programme showed circumstances where audiences were manipulated into believing miracles were being witnessed. In the hours, days and weeks following, the longevity of any relief from their physical disability would become sadly clear.
But there is a danger that many truth loving, people of integrity, with hearts of compassion and lifestyles dedicated to serving the needs of the vulnerable could be implicated wrongly. I and thousands of other Christians in this country will regularly pray for ill people or those in need. Our motivation for doing so is:


1. A compassion for the persons pain, need or disability
2. A belief that God, who we believe designed us, can be a masterful physician and repair things that go wrong


Does everyone get healed? No. But some do and if the researchers had so desired, they could have found medical documentation of ‘unexplained miracles’ that have resulted in cured patients. I’m deeply saddened that there are those in our world who use trickery to con people, but I’m encouraged by those who follow the example of Jesus and faithfully pray with others to genuinely help them find comfort, hope and healing. These are not faith healers – they are compassion filled Jesus followers!


Thought 3:
There are questions to be asked about the ethicality of employing techniques of deceit to expose deceit. A number of times in the programme it was clear that the production team were uncomfortable with the lies they were spinning to try and pass off the actor as a ‘faith healer’. Was this justified or was it just the ‘best angle’ to create a controversial TV programme? Maybe Derren cares so much about exposing this issue that he took no money from it but I suspect these dubious ethics maximised the programmes popularity and earned the production team a nice little earner.


Has the programme changed anything?
Not really. As long as the world has both greedy and needy people within its borders there will be unscrupulous attempts to manipulate and take advantage. All of us, particularly the church should ensure we are not indifferent to such practise and oppose them when seen. However the programmes generalisations may cause some confusion by failing to refer to the featured examples as extreme and unwelcome to the large majority of churches and we could take this opportunity to respond by telling good stories of genuine hope and healing found, not in the crossed palms of a slippery con man, but in the palms that were on the cross.