Day of Prayer

I made time this week in my diary to spend a day in prayer. I am trying to do this on a regular basis, I think its one of the most important ways I can serve my Church.
Sometimes prayer days fly by and you wonder where the time has gone. Other times they feel like walking through treacle with a heavy load on your back. This was one such day, I found it hard to concentrate and listen with sensitivity. My mind was flooded with issues and concerns, I tried to bring them to God in prayer but my mind was quickly distracted back to the "ins and outs" of the problem.

Then I remembered a prayer a friend of mine taught me which is very simple, "Lord teach me to pray". this was the cry of the disciples and is at the core of prayer itself. In prayer we are all children coming to God learning from him how to speak and dependant on his power to enable us to communicate. In our own strength we are often left floundering, distracted and confused. Prayer always begins in weakness, calling on the Father to help us, not only with the issues of life that challenge us but also in the response of prayer to those issues. How should I pray ? What should I pray for ? What is God doing in this situation? What is God doing in me through this situation?

So I began to repeat this prayer to still my mind and after a time I knew how to go about things, what to pray for and how to pray for it. The prayer time became personally energising and I become aware that God was working in me through these prayers. Prayer isn't at the end of the day what I do for God, its more about what he is doing in and through me.

So why not give it a try? Its got to be the easiest prayer to pray "Lord Teach me to Pray" Repeat it slowly as you still yourself and see what God will do. Why not email me back and tell me what happened?

Tony Blair and Judgement Day

I'm getting the hang of this. After no entries for weeks here is another one on the same day!

I've loved reading loads of articles about the Blair years. One thing that struck me after reading the judgements by some of the countries most intelligent people is that they all differ in their judgements. Some feel he is the saviour of the NHS others that he is its enemy. Some feel he has turned around education and others that he has stagnated it in red tape and testing. Some feel he has liberated people and others feel he has created a nanny state. Who is right ? Whose view should carry the most weight? Who should he listen to as he tries to reflect on 10 years work.

It struck me that for most of us the opinion of people is very important to us, we constantly seek favourable judgements on our lives by those around us. We think that if we do certain things in the right way we will get a pat on the back for at least trying and hopefully more than that. But people's opinions will always be very different, their perspective will always be personal and never neutral. They will attempt to discern your motives but how can they know why you do the things you do? Do we really know the true motives behind Tony Blair for the last 10 years?

The only true judgement we can count on is that of Christ who knows all things. the only one we should trying to please with our lives is the one to whom we have to give account at the end of the show. He is the only true critic who can write the definitive account of the play that is our lives.

So when we look out to the audience from the stage of life and see the critics sitting with their pens poised, take a look up to the balcony and see Christ looking at you with great love and forgiveness willing you to do well and know he is the only one to whom we have to give account at the end. Waste less emotional time on pleasing others and more time on playing to the balcony. Then we will be able to better serve those we are called to love in life.

I am so bad at this

Having started the new technological revolution I haven't managed to enter another blog for several weeks. Apparently all you have to do is say something each week, but I cant seem to do that so far. So it looks like I have to bring you up to date with my life over the last few weeks.

Highlights =

1. My daughter-in-law Helen got baptised after Easter. She and James have been married for over a year and half and it was great to pop over to Lincoln and worship at New Life Church. She spoke so well even though she was very nervous. The Church has been a great source of life to them with loads of students and young people.

2. Ste and Leah got accepted to train at Spurgoens for September. They had a great time at the interview and loved the college, Nigel Wright made them feel very welcome. They are excited and nervous about the future.

3. Naomi our daughter got accepted at Manchester Uni for teacher training, she was very cool about the interview and enjoyed it. She will be a great teacher.

4. We had a fantastic Church Conference with about 200 people attending and a wonderful sense of unity and purpose about the future.

5. Went down to Highmoor Hall in Berks for a meeting. This is a special place I first heard God speak to me as a 15year old. It is a retreat centre which was set up by Paul and Anne Person, the couple who led me to Christ. It brought back so many happy memories and reminded me of my early days of faith.

6. Lesley my wife opened her latest exhibition at Sale Waterside centre. I was so proud of what she has achieved. She has spent the last few months with 6 different faith groups in Trafford looking at how textiles are used in birth death and marriage. It is open for another few weeks so try and take a visit.