Sunday Evening and Nothing to Say

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Sunday evening and I have nothing to say so here is a picture of a door. 'A' used to like picturing doors, although I am not sure if this is one that would receive her consideration!  That lass tended to go for doors on ageing castles, châteaus and cathedrals. This is just an unused door on what is now a church with too small a membership to require more than one entrance, and this side door that once led to the gallery has not been in use for many a day.  The minister, a wee man from Glasgow, well past his 70th birthday, is a man who knows his God and continues to follow his calling. A grand speaker and canny man. His wife is what makes him what he is. The Bocking End Congregational Church once had several hundred attending, today there may have been less than thirty, especially as many are older than the minister, he has buried two thirds of his congregation since arriving 20 years ago! They are good people but the fabric is like me, a bit run down.

My empty, tired mind has nothing else to say. Many regard this as a good thing.....


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Sunday Post

This is my 'Sunday Post.'

Sunday

Such is the intense excitement of my day summed up, by a small bridge over the gaping three foot ravine below. This fifty yard walk through the 'Dingley Dell' that leads to a supermarket carpark! The sun shone through the trees dappling the leaves and brightening the day. Even the bulk of the police station overlooking the pathway could not dampen the joy of the trail.

Nothing else happened!

The phone didn't ring, the e-mail did not bleep, even spam did not bother to arrive, the papers were dead, the TV was a waste, and lunch was ... well let's not bring that up again! All in all a rubbish day. Of course the news from Saturday did not help. Travelling to Paisley to play St Mirren at their new ground, a new ground in which they have as yet failed to win a game! Naturally the Heart of Midlothian have never played there as yet and it appeared to some experienced readers of the games that a Heart of Midlothian defeat was on the cards.
We lost!
I am aware of Mike S. now lying under one of the tables in 'The Diggers.' I wish I was with him!

Sunday Morning

I threw off my Duffel coat and removed my jacket, I dropped my thick pullover on the floor and added the thin one to it, the fleece jacket and chest protector were thrown down alongside. On to them I placed my thermal trousers and Ski pants. My baseball cap and woolly hat were flung aside and after removing the two pair of football socks I threw aside the old army blankets and leapt out of bed. Blearily I drew apart the torn bedraggled rags that imitate curtains and looked with wonder at the world. The world in turn looked wonderingly at me and muttered, "What on earth is that?"

Huddled over a candle, to save on the electric, I downed a pint or two of coffee and attempted to recover my mind. This having failed I fought valiantly against the biting wind to the newsagent and bought an overpriced paper. Quite why I have this desire to waste money on this I cannot understand, but I gave in to the temptation. The result, as you can appreciate, is a large pile of paper lying all over the floor. The 'Money' section has gone along with the 'Business ' and 'Motor' sections. 'Travel' was glanced at, but the trip to Vietnam, while enticing, is slightly over my budget. Still to be glanced at and added to the recycling box is the 'Sport,' (all English of course, you would never think there was a union in 1707 would you, not from these papers) the colour supplement, which I guess will contain little worth reading, and the TV section (referred to as 'Culture' to make it more impressive!). Lying by itself is the actual paper! This will contain some news, some 'in depth' items, a handful of self opinionated columnists and lots of adverts! Well worth the money.........

Later I tuned into the televised service from Luss. Last time I quite enjoyed this and thought it a good idea. A typical Church of Scotland, somewhat formal affair. This time however I was sore tried by the constant 'greetin' of a couple of bairns who's mother, like all mums everywhere, was totally deaf to their noise. Unfortunately the microphones were not and this rendered the spoken word unintelligible. Now I love kids, I used to be one, and I find they can be a great source of fun and enjoyment, except when using the video to store ice cream, throwing stones at the window or burning down schools. I also believe kids ought to be in Sunday school or crèche where church is concerned! Alas this brought out the crabbit in me and ruined my morning. The children were kept in throughout because they were to be baptised. This did unsettle me as baptism ought to be for those who are able to comprehend what they are doing. In the CoS it is used to make folk 'members' of the church even as infants, therefore implying salvation, however salvation is only by the 'Born again' experience, however you define it. I have come across those who have claimed they had experience of Jesus when they were only three, and I am sure they did, however this is not the norm. Now many in the CoS know their God, and some famous men have agreed with infant baptism, but I suppose for far too many biblical knowledge is so limited and considered unimportant. God is for Sunday, and we all just do the best we can the rest of the week, a well meaning nominalism. These are often the best folk to know,but God has more,much more for us in himself. I am still troubled by what I saw today.

In fact I am so upset I am going to watch Ghana v Nigeria in the African Nations! C'mon Ghana, C'mon Larry Kingston!

Rain

Drawing back the filthy rags that pass for curtains here I noticed the sky glowering darkly overhead. The Sky, I should add, is usually overhead of course, but I thought it wise to make this clear. The dark gray clouds came racing in from the south west and dropped the contents at a rakish angle. People lucky enough to be heading for work walked, head down or hidden behind those deadly weapons umbrellas! Surely folk should have a licence to carry one?

While watching a dog cheerfully meander from tree to tree I noticed the postie arrive. She looked up from under her large orange hood and noticing me at the window expressed some concern at the weather. It must be understood that rain, apart from wind, is the worst weather conditions in which to deliver mail. Rain gets everywhere! No matter what you do rain finds its way into the bag. By the time the postie is half way through his day he finds that he is shoving paper mache through letterboxes!
Wandering to the door, slowly, and carrying a coffee cup in my hand I opened the door. Placing the mail in my hand she again referred to the rain in a derogatory manner. "Oi," says I, "These letters are wet." Once more, and in a language too rough for members of the Royal Navy, she indicated that the weather was somewhat unsettled this morning. She then slapped me on both sides of my head with her sodden arms. Then she smiled! Typical woman!

Without this rain we would of course not have a nation as lush as this. While the rain soaks through the holes in my shoe it also soaks deep into the earth producing those fabulous flowers and trees, bushes and meadows that can be found hidden behind the concrete and brick that surrounds us. In short we are made by the weather! While attending a course for the Open University the tutor disagreed with my view that the land shaped the people. Sad thing when someone disagrees with me I say,not sad that they disagree, but sad when they are wrong yet are getting paid huge sums of money for being wrong! Australians brought up in the bush have a very different view on life from the tutor, brought up in middle class liberal England. Those fishermen living on the Scottish islands would possess an outlook at variance with a lass living in an Iranian village, and not just because of the religious culture either. The land shapes us, it gets into our mentality, and disagreements between the continental members of the EU and Britain can be said to begin with the national outlook. The sea around us has also given us an attitude at variance from those with a history of shifting borders.

Brits cannot meet without mentioning the weather. King George V began each days diary entry with a comment on the weather, encouraged by his early training with the navy. Football matches, and the laborious cricket ones also, and often threatened by rain or wind, Wimbledon not only suffers from rain but from Cliff Richard and his singing! How bad is that? Parents concerned about their siblings will always ask about the weather, as if they want to make sure the child, now in mid twenties, is dressed appropriately. They never learn! The weather, that really means the rain, becomes part of British life, and is it therefore any wonder that folk flock to sun filled resorts in the summer. I myself have now developed a desire to live in Crete! Why? Because I saw a picture of a sun filled Crete on telly the other day and I am off as soon as I am rich enough.

Global warming is going to increase the temperature in this land they say, but what will happen then? Vegetation will not appear as well as it does now, crops will suffer, gardeners will be forced to save water in barrels and then we will all start complaining that it is too hot! Holidays will be taken in Finland just to see snow and long dark nights, expeditions to monsoon lands to laugh with glee at the rainfall will be highlights of some idiots year, and I will still be left by an uncle I have never known an umbrella factory. twas ever thus!

Sunday, A Day For Seeking God

At least that was the idea. It seemed good at the time! So when I woke this morning, for the second time, I noticed there was a mist outside. Not much point in having one inside I suppose, anyway, I decided that fitness was important and climbed on the rusting bike with my rusting body and headed for the old railway line. The intention was that I would stop at places, contemplate God as I looked at the country around, take a photo or two of misty scenes,and plod home to continue the seeking. naturally the place was busy. Not 'High Street' busy, but plenty of folks walking their dogs, jogging or just wandering up to the village for whatever purpose. Not much chance of a meditation here. The one time I stopped, as I puffed up the incline the steam trains of the past never noticed, it took seconds for folk to appear in the distance. Hey ho.

So it was back home in due course, and meditate in the bath. Well, doze was more like it as the exercise had failed to stimulate the mental capacities that once resided in the cranium. It took only a short while to decide that protein was required. Salmon and assorted fruits and veg saw to that, and it helped. The theory that a good breakfast is required to survive the day is clearly correct. if there is time of course....

However, by tuning into Premier Radio, http://www.premier.org.uk/Index.cfm?bhcp=1
and listening to the noon worship time life changed. While I was struggling to read the book, and finding my head filled with despair at my unbelief and lack of God there the presenter read a psalm that meant a lot to me. Don't ask which one as I forget, but the words spoke of Gods care and I was lifted suddenly out of the pit! As the bland inconsequential praise so loved of Premier continued, I found myself crying out to God as I had once before in the distant past! Emotion or Spirit? I do not know or care, but this has carried me through the day.

I wandered out later and accidentally came across Sunday football in the park. As the rain slanted sown and the adolescent players struggled with the hill and weather, I found myself just enjoying the rain and the game. I took this as from God and stood happily in the rain for a good while before deciding prayer was what I was supposed to be doing. Back home I read while listening to Premier. Tiring of the blandness of the music I searched out other Internet radio stations and found one in Ottawa playing worship music with a bit more bite. CHRI FM is worth a listen. http://www.chri.ca/chri2/viewpage.php?pageid=67
It done me a lot of good today. I found one or two others that had good thumping music, but this made reading while listening easier.


I find myself tonight wondering where I am after today. Am I nearer God? Have I given myself through the cross? Am I letting him in? I am loner, I always want to be in control and have always resisted letting go, am I nearer that, and have I done enough? Lord please say.
Whatever, today has had many positives. I am glad for it.

Sunday

Sunday, the day Christians set apart to worship God. Ignore the fact that he ought to be worshipped daily of course, but on this day, by mid morning, millions world wide come together and attempt to worship God in some way or other.
Why do they come?
Because Jesus has reached down into their lives and they have responded with some degree of positivity, because they have seen a life before them that they could never have imagined at one time, because they have problems and want his help. Many come out of habit, many reluctantly. Some would prefer to indulge their favourite sin rather than be there in front of him so to speak, and sit guiltily looking the other way in case he notices them.

I think of the cartoon in a reformed magazine aimed at pastors and ministers of churches. from the pulpit the minister looks out over his flock and above each one is a word balloon. In one it says 'Love me!' another 'Help me!' the next says, 'Lonely' alongside the next reads, 'Desperate.'
A good image of what a pastor sees when the church gathers together.
The image of a 'Walton' like group meeting in churches is so false and far from the truth it amazes me that some want to believe that this represents the church. But people prefer to believe the half truth and myth rather that the real facts. They are to demanding!

In a 'Barnabas' cartoon strip their is one featuring the monks gathering before God. God reaches down and points to an empty seat, 'Where is Barnabas?' he asks. 'I miss him when he is not here!' Now that speaks volumes of God and his attitude to us, bad as we are.

World wide people gather. Different churches worship in varied forms. Nothing wrong with that as long as it is real worship of the living God. But so few in comparison to the numbers around them. Millions more follow false gods, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists etc. Serious people often, but missing out on the one who claimed 'I am the way, the truth, and the life! No one comes to the father, but by me!' Not a claim anyone else has made, or could.

Those who sincerely follow their faiths are often likeable and good people, most are at a glance. And the Christians who profess to know their God are often not so popular. It seems to me that there are two reasons for this. One is the clear difference holding on to Jesus can make to the individuals life. In that by no longer sharing the lifestyle of those around you, the Christian stands out, and does not fit in so easily. This need not make them unpopular, just different. But by holding to a stricter moral code ca cause untold conflict at work, home, etc.
The other reason is that some make themselves unpopular by the way they express their faith.
A closed minded dogmatism which does not listen, only points out the faults in others, and is cold, harsh and unloving. Such people make themselves unpopular.

It is possible to stand out from others and have your own opinion on the way of the world and not be hated by one and all. Though this does not always happen. Sure if you hold on to Jesus you will have enemies, but by being yourself and one of them (in the world but not Of the world) you can be generally and truly standing for Jesus, and make him acceptable to those who would otherwise ignore him. Too many, far too many, try to be different from the world and either appear as a throwback to the 'Waltons' or a cold stuffed shirt.

Why did Jesus come? To bring life! If you are born of his spirit you can enjoy life! It is there for you to enjoy, and in a much more fulfilling way then the unbeliever can! While the world gets worse, and it will only degenerate, it will never improve, you can have life amid the mess around you! Fun and joy are allowed! Terrible things are happening, and will continue to happen in the world, the poor are with you always, but life brings light to those places so go out and bring light!!!

Nothing is easy in this joy filled life. Worship is difficult (note how often I have used that word) because it means putting yourself aside and Jesus first. That is hard! Very Hard! But when we do and allow him his place life blossoms within and around us. Nothing is harder than letting our self go and putting Jesus in his place as boss in our life. Nothing is harder than the joy filled life he brings. But look at the joy he always possessed! It can belong to the believer too!

Sunday ought to be every day for the Christian. At home, at work at play. Worship brings life.
Worship, and enjoy life today!

Adullamite

Share your thoughts with the world the blurb says. But the world may not be looking eh?
My thoughts at the moment at diverted by silly small things that give, great, deep, joy.
The sun is shining!
Now to those who are ignoring this blog from sun filled nations this may not seem a point worth making, but to one brought up under the gray skies of Edinburgh I can tell you joy is very real when the sun comes out! I am in fact four hundred miles from Edinburgh these days, but the weather is not usually four hundred miles better. A few degrees warmer, and less wet, but not the southern reaches of the Mediterranean I can tell you.
So I can look out towards the park and see the tree dappled with yellow sunlight. The various greens beginning to turn slightly brown as Autumn takes a hold. Blue sky with distant white clouds complete the vision. How can those who dwell in sunny climes ever turn out depressed? How come those who live around the Mediterranean have such surly dispositions? Smiling and laughing seems a far distant trick to those I have met from that part of the world. Africans can smile, even Arabs give it a go, Asians are almost always smiling! We are a people that are difficult to please are we not?

Well I can tell you the sun makes me happy! Wandering around in the warm air, enjoying what I can before the chill becomes lasting, I see the sun making even those places that are run down and dilapidated look good. The people do not respond as I do though. If they do they are keeping it a secret. The miserable looks I see all around me bring despair to my little mind. Why is it that the more we have the less we enjoy life? The nation is fat! Rich yet unhappy.

Only Jesus can make them satisfied. But as always they ignore him and are looking for things to bring joy, things that do not last. Relationships last, and what better relationship than with a god who satisfies?