Preaching with a purpose

I am back, but only to give you the link to my latest Squidoo lens. I mentioned My Christmas Story in my last post. It's all about Christmas the year I was seven. What we ate, what we did and the presents we gave and received. It was quite a change from Christmas today with it's consumer razzmatrazz. My Christmas Story

Have you ever wondered what Christmas was like years ago? No I don't mean the Victorian Christmas, I'm thinking of the 50's in rural Britain. I was seven then and I'm making a lens about it on Squidoo. It's a work in progress at the moment so I can't give you the link just yet, but I wanted to whet your appetite. We were a relatively poor family, as Dad was a farm labourer. I went to school with other children like myself and also the farmers' children who were better off. We had quite a spartan Christmas, but we had enough to get by and have some extra treats on the day itself. This was thanks to our resourceful parents. Very few people had television at thast time, but we had the radio, or wireless as we called it then and enjoyed that immensely. So keep your eyes peeled for the link when it comes, in the next few days.

I seem to be making a monthly visit here. I am still writing my daily poem on Squidoo, see below, but my blogging has fallen by the wayside. I have jumped another hurdle in that I have passed Section C of the Faith and Worship preaching course. I am well into section D and hope to send it off in good time for the end of March. Life is good. I am looking forward to a fuss free Christmas. Jesus came to save us, not to shackle us to consumerism. I'm not being a kill joy. If you enjoy all the razzmatazz, go ahead. I would rather have a bit of quiet contemplation. If you are not careful you can end up serving mammon for Christmas. Here is the link to my latest month of poetry. A poem for every day in November

It's been all play and no work here for another month. I make no promises about my blogging. I am now working on the last section of Faith and Worship, the preaching course I am going through.I hope to finish by March but again can make no promises. I am continuing my poetry challenge on Squidoo where I am writing a poem a day for a year, and I can promise that I have so far not missed a day, although due to holidays away from the PC I have sometimes had to catch up at a later date. Here is my latest lens, but do feel welcome to look at earlier ones all presented on this one. A poem for every day in October

I've had a whole month not writing on my blog. It's good to take a rest. Perhaps you have enjoyed the rest too. But now I'm back with renewed energy. I've had another holiday, just a short break in Cornwall with my family. I've had problems with my landlord but they seem to be sorting themselves out now. I'm still on Squidoo and include the link to my latest lenses below.I've given up Farmville but am still available for co-op jobs if my friends need me.That means that Farmville is still there beckoning me, but I will resist, there are more important things to do. I am sending off Section C of my Faith and Worship preaching course at the beginning of next week. Life looks good. The music of Arvo Part The cycle Tour of Britain goes through Hemyock

Lord, you know what it is like to be without a home. Bless all those many millions throughout our world who do not have a proper home. Bring your love into their lives despite their poverty and help us to realise how poor we wealthy ones are because we allow wealth to get in the way of our knowing you. Amen Are you poor? So cluttered up with possessions that you have no time to think about the spiritual side of life? Surely there is more to life than a computer, an i-phone and all the other things we crave after these days. Humans need more in life than these things. We need to meet together and discuss. To share our lives with others. Yes the laptop can be a good slave to help us reach new people, but it is also a cruel master if we let it take over every moment of our life. This morning I enjoyed playing quartets with three other friends. What joy that was to share music together. I'm sure no one would want to listen to us, but we loved it. We played Mozart and Beethoven and

How nice to settle in at home again, To watch the trees grow in the rain. To settle into bed at night And stay there after dawn's first light. To wander gently through the day Without a timetable to control my way. To amble on from meal to meal. To let time's balm my mind to heal. 'Tis good to go about and play But better far at home to stay. I've been away, now it's good to come home. If you like my poem take a look at some more here. A poem for every day in August

I've been on holiday. From Devon to Suffolk which necessitated me travelling through London using the underground. I had not done this for more than forty years so faced it with some trepidation. Thanks to helpful fellow travellers I had few problems. While away I took a rest from my blog but did manage to keep my poetry challenge alive. I am writing a poem a day for a year and began on April 7th this year. You can see my latest offerings, including my travelling experiences here A poem for every day in August

How easily we are frightened and upset in life. It never has run smoothly and you would think we would get used to the different dilemmas which confront us. Everything about life is doubtful, always changes confront us. How do you cope? My faith in God is the main thing that I rely on. He is dependable when no one else is. He never lets me down. True he might take me through some very difficult times , but he will take me through. To read about someone in the Bible who went through difficult times see the story of Joseph at this link. Interesting Bible People:Joseph

Sometimes it's hard to keep going with something we have started. A little setback can get in the way of trying to do something good. I want these thoughts to touch your heart and make you think things through. However as I cannot tell if anyone has read them unless you comment, I get disheartened and feel I am a voice calling in the wilderness. But who can tell who might light upon this page and be really encouraged or helped in their journey of life. If only one person was helped it would all be worthwhile. If you have been helped in any way by this blog do make a comment.I could do with some encouraging too.You can find more thoughts like these at this link A thought for each day

Have you noticed how disaster follows disaster in this world. Now we have the flood in Pakistan. We feel so helpless, giving money just doesn't seem enough. Fairly near where I live there is a charity called Shelterbox. They supply a large plastic box full of camping equipment. These can give vital aid to peole in disasters, basic shelter and means for cooking. People who live near this charity often give their labour voluntarily to pack these boxes ready for dispatch. It must feel great to feel you are helping in this very practical way. The boxes are all numbered and if you pay for one you can find out where it went and whom it helped. Each box costs £490 so get together with some friends to buy on. They are right on the ball, already 406 have reached Pakistan. Here is the link to them Shelterbox Of course giving money helps a lot. Why not give on a regular basis to help someone in need. It might even be in your own country.

Farmville in many ways is not like real farming. If you don't fence your animals in in real farming they will wander all over the crops and spoil them. In real farming you can't unwither your crops, once they have withered that's it. But some things are like real life. If you help your neighbour out he will often help you too. You can work in a co-op to get higher yields. The animals on Farmville sell at a rediculously low price. Sheep farmers would say that is true to life. I think Jesus would have used Farmville as an illustration if he was here now. He would say it's no good just helping those who help you, you must give to the ones who can't return the favour too.He might also say don't spend your life on something which is worthless, but I don't think he would be a kill-joy like that. He would see the benefits of people interacting even on the internet.The internet can be a place where we find out about Jesus by sharing our faith with one another

On the Facebook game Farmville, if you have the game bar it tells you when the harvest is ready. Jesus said that the harvest was absolutely ready now and that farm hands are needed to bring the harvest in. What did he mean? He meant that men and women were at the point where they were ready to hear his good news that God had sent him to rescue us from the bad things in our lives and bring us into a wonderful party with him and God where everything would be sorted out and peace and joy would be everywhere. Those of us who know Jesus should realise that the harvest is ready. People are hungry to hear they can be rescued by Jesus. I like to say I play Farmville so that I can relate to the young people in our churches and outside. The truth is I find it addictive. However I think it could be used to illustrate all sorts of things in a sermon to the young and not so young. So I'm going to pretend that is my reason, because I need material for my sermons as I am a trainee local preacher.

It is always hard to lose a loved one to death but for those of us with a faith in God we can gain strength from knowing that he loves us and the one we have lost. He is in control when we feel so out of control. How can you know that love of God for you. He promises to keep you in that love of his if you will put your hand in the hand of Jesus. you have to be serious about this and spend time alone getting to know Jesus, but you have his promise that if you call to him he will answer and you will find him if you look for him with every ounce of your being. That's a bit more than a gram's worth. Godd's help is really only a prayer away. If you are not sure how to pray take a look at the lens below and also at my other thoughts if you find these helpful. A prayer for every day A thought for each day(2)

Being rich is all a matter of degree. As an O.A.P on benefits many would consider me to be poor, but compared to someone in, for instance, Haiti I am rich. I am very content with my life. I have all I need plus a car, two computers, a piano, a camera and a violin. What more should I want ? If you chase after riches you can end up with ash in your mouth. If you chase after riches and climb on other people to do so you have done a bad thing. However if you are one of those rare people who can produce riches and use them to help others you will escape the drawbacks of riches. I say I am content but I am also human and I dream of a better car, or what I could do with more money, but in my heart I know this is foolishness. I have all I need and more. If I had more money, worries would come with it. I enjoy the things I have saved up for much more than I would if they came easily. Before you wish for riches think carefully, they may bring you more trouble than they are worth. Every blessing.

Tomorrow(Monday) my squidoo lens Down a Devon Lane is going to be reviewed on the Squidoo Lens Review. That's very exciting for me. Sometimes you can have a very good lens and yet no matter what you do it sinks down the pile unnoticed. It's great when someone notices it and points it out to others. It contains my own photos taken down a lane I often walk along. Here and there I have written a poem or two. I also name the wild flowers. There are also three other lenses down the lane, using photos from different times of the year. Down a Devon Lane

Do you consider yourself to be a fine upstanding citizen? I'm sure you are in many ways, but do you look down on others who have had a difficult time in life and then gone wrong? I believe, given the wrong circumstances we are all capable of going to the bad. Some people have had horrendous childhood experiences. Very true some of them have still made good despite this bad start and all credit to them. But we need to have a bit of compassion for the ones who haven't made a good go of life. Recently I heard a prison chaplain speak of his work. He confirmed my belief that many prisoners have had a shocking start to life. Would we have done any better if we had had a start like that? For more thoughts on these lines see the two links below. The Fallen Woman The Drunk

So what is a trainee local preacher doing writing poems about love and passion. Well we preachers are just ordinary folk like everyone else trying to make sense of their feelings and emotions. God would not have said,"Do not commit adultery" if we were never going to feel like doing that. Trouble is, say,"Do not walk on the grass " to a person and what do they want to do? It's the same with wet paint. We are all in this together, we human beings. All struggling to do the right thing and not always getting it right. So what did God do about our predicament? He sent Jesus to gain forgiveness for us. God knows you are going to get it wrong. He loves you. Come to him for forgiveness. My poems of love and passion

Joseph's story is now available to you, see the link below. I have been busy on Squidoo again with my Bible story characters. I love creating these pages because I believe these Bible people have a lot to teach us about life. As a child I used to think the people of the past were very different from us, but now I know that this is not so. People have always had the same desires, the same problems; Jealousy, anger, sorrow to name but a few. These people are not pale shadows but real strong people with feelings like us. They struggled to find God and were found by him. Take a look at this link to see a real human struggling against disaster. Interesting Bible People: Joseph

Are you running yourself ragged trying to earn money to keep a roof over your head and keep your wife and family happy? Do you feel caught in this rat race? May be you would be happier renting a house. If you did that you wouldn't have the worry of structural maintenance. May be you could manage with a lot less clothes and is there really any need to get the kids special designer label clothes. Me, I'm happy with curtains that don't match and they came from a charity shop. I've always rented too. It's still my home I just don't have to worry if the roof needs mending. If you are feeling trapped there are ways out. My car is 13 years old. Does that worry me? Not at all, she goes well. I get from A to B as well as someone in a Mercedes. Jesus said there is more to life than clothes or food. You ask Jesus into your life you will never be disatisfied again. God will look after you and give you all you really need. For more thoughts like these visit the lin

I'm busily writing another of my Squidoo lenses on Interesting Bible People. It's about Joseph. You can't see it yet because I haven't finished it, but I thought I would whet your appetite! Joseph as a young man had to go through many problems. His jealous brothers sold him into slavery, Then he was wrongly accused of forcing his attentions on his master's wife. For this he was thrown into prison. But Joseph always came up smelling of roses. Why? Because God was with him. He trusted God and God did not let him down. His experiences had given him vital training in organising other people and this was vital when the time came for him to save Egypt from famine. Are you going through a bad time? Put your trust in God, He will carry you through and make something good of you. to give you some background to Joseph's story look at this link about his father, Jacob Interesting Bible People:Jacob

I have a lens on Squidoo I would like you to see.(link below). Here I discuss who is nearer to Jesus, a prostitute or an archbishop. What would you think? Some archbishops are very godly men, but if they think they are nearer to God than a prostitute they could be wrong. Jesus himself said to the pharisees, the bishops of their day, that prostitutes were more likely to go into heaven. How could this be. I think you will find that a prostitute knows full well that she is a sinner. Whereas an archbishop may have gotten carried away with all the pomp and splendour of his position and begun to feel that he was somehow better than the protitute. What pleases God is humility and knowing that we have to depend on Jesus to make us acceptable to God. The Fallen Woman

Do you know the story of Naaman in the Bible? If not take a look at the link below.Naaman had leprosy. He was sent to Israel and eventually found the prophet Elisha who sent him a message to say, if he wanted to be cured he must go and wash in the river Jordan, seven times. But Naaman thought this was too easy and was furious that Elisha had not come out to heal him in a magical way. He had sensible servants with him who persuaded him to go and wash. We are like Naaman only our problem is sin. We want to make up for our sin by doing good things. We want to please God our way, but God has made the only way, Jesus. Jesus died for us, we need to put our trust in him and let go of our sin. He deals with it freely. Interesting Bible People: Naaman

My first husband and I are about to celebrate that forty years have past since we married. It doesn't bother us that there has been a divorce in between. We are celebrating a friendship which has weathered the storm. We will be going out for a meal with our children to celebrate. There is no way we would want to live together. My husband has always been a loner and I have discovered the delights of living on my own. We are content to share an occasional meal together and to go out grocery shopping together. How blest we are to have found forgiveness and understanding.

For those of you interested my sermon is coming along fine. So I have time to spend a little time with you out there in the big wide world. Isn't it amazing that a little lady from Devon, England who has only left this island once, to visit Southern Ireland, is now in a position to address the world with the thoughts gleaned over 63 years. You may be reading in Japan or the Philippines, or Australia, or America and a thousand other places. Wow what a responsibility that is. I'm not here to give you light chit-chat I'm here to tell you about Jesus. If you don't want to hear then go away. If you are troubled in your heart you will want to hear. Jesus is the answer to your heart's longings. Do you know why so many marriages fail(mine included)? It's because we expect our partners to fulfill all our dreams, we expect them to be all that we ever wanted. They can't deliver, they are human and our hearts are longing after God, only he in Jesus can give us

My thought for today is, "If I don't get on with my sermon soon I'm going to have trouble on Sunday. There will be a gaping hole in the middle of the service." Mind you, which is more important? This blog with the potential to reach a lot of people, or a sermon for fourteen people? That's a tricky one. I know I shall enjoy Sunday with those fourteen people. They are people with lives outside the church, who can influence many more people in their day to day lives. Also they know me as a real person not just some cyber, religious, agony aunt. Aha I quite like that title. I try to be open about myself here but those people on Sunday really know my background. There is no chance of me getting superior with them, and I wouldn't want to. They know the worst there is to know about me. I believe my openess, about the things I have done wrong in my life, is one of my greatest strengths. I can honestly say, I know your sins can be forgiven. I've been there and have

I am a very happy and contented person, but once I had terrible trouble with depression. Actually I am mildly bi-polar. I didn't mind the highs at all, but the lows were awful. I needed lithium bicarbonate to help me. I have taken it for twenty four years and have never looked back. Sometimes we need treatment to help us but sometimes we have just got our lives in a mess and we need help from our Creator. Bring your troubles to Jesus. There may be things in your life, almost certainly, that need forgiving. You may need to forgive someone else. Holding a grudge against someone is probably doing you more harm than it is doing them. Let it go. Sometimes we can't forgive ourselves and we carry a big burden around with us, what they call baggage nowadays. You need to lay that baggage at the cross. What a pity when Jesus went to the cross for us if we won't let him do his job and forgive us. You can't pull yourself up by your bootlaces, you need help. Let him hel

I prayed for rain because the farmers need it. Rain came. Should I be surprized? Of course not. God is a prayer answering God. Try it and see. He won't give you things that are bad for you. He might take a long time to answer. You see God is in eternity and He is not restricted by time as we are. So God may answer at once in eternity, but you may have to travel quite a time to reach that answer. But it will be well worth waiting for.God cares about you and me. He won't let us down.

I love this game. It brings out the best in people. They have to acquire skill and enjoy the results, but they also have to be prepared to make fools of themselves when concentration slips and the wood slips too. We all love it when life goes smoothly and hate it when things keep going wrong. It's difficult to keep calm when life is throwing problems your way. It's at times like this when it is good to have a friend to stand by you. None better than Jesus.

I wonder how many people think, "Poor old Liz, messed up two marriages and now she's living all on her own in a flat." Sounds awful doesn't it. However it's not like that at all. I've never been so happy. It could be disaster, it sounds like disaster, but one person makes the difference - God, as seen in Jesus. The one who is appalled by my sin also loves me so much that he has died for me and has forgiven me and given me a very worthwhile life. Part of that life is writing to you now, telling you how wonderful He is, because I want you to find his love too. If He can still love me when I've broken His command telling me not to commit adultery, then He can also forgive anything you have done. If you are broken down under the weight of your wrong doing, if you hate it, you are in just the right frame of mind to want to come to Jesus and have that burden rolled away from you for ever. I was a committed christian when I went wrong. You would think that was un

Some people brush aside the writings of Paul and do not spend time trying to figure out what he is saying. If you do this you are dismissing a huge part of our Bible. That doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Let's look at Paul and see if he sounds like the sort of person worth listening to. He was a Jew, the son of a pharisee ( a religious leader) and became a pharisee and was considered very learned at a young age. He was dedicated to wiping out the new christian religion but then had a dramatic resurrection encounter with Jesus and his life was turned around. After spending three years alone thinking through the implications of christianity he began his missionary journeys to both Jews and gentiles throughout the Roman Empire. During this time he showed his tenacity and determination to spread the gospel in suffering stoning, beating and imprisonment, and surviving several ship wrecks. This man obviously believed wholly in the gospel he was preaching. Surely we can put

It's a wonderful thing, Jesus came so that anybody who believes in him gets eternal life. How do I know? It says so in the Bible, John 3 v 16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." There it is in black and white and that includes you. Now eternal life isn't just something you get after you die, it's a special quality of life here and now. You are free in Jesus and not trapped in society's world. Yes, you are still a part of society but you are not a slave anymore to making money and keeping up with fashion and chasing after fame. You are free to live Christ's way, which is the better way.Do tell me what you think of this. I love to discuss these things. I've been a christian since I was seven, but I've also gone through two broken marriages, so I'm no goody-two-shoes who will look down on you. If you have problems in your life you are just the sor

Another day is done and all the little rechargeable batteries are going to their beds to stock up energy for another day tomorrow. Have you ever thought of yourself as a rechargeable battery. Try going without sleep and you will soon find out that's what you are. Sleep is a mystery to us. We understand very little about it; we just know we need it. Some people need less, some more. I am mildly bi-polar so my sleep patterns vary more than some people's. As I am retired and living on my own I can go with the flow. This morning I got up at 5.30 a.m. just because I felt wide awake. It's not that surprizing on a light summer morning. I can catch up on my sleep as I want. It's not so easy if you have a partner or a family to consider. Recently it was suspected I had Sleep Apnoea, you can find out if I did or not at this link Me and Sleep Apnea

Lord, why is life so difficult sometimes? In the past my life was difficult. I thank you that now it is very pleasant. But what of others who are coping with terrible loss. How can I help them? I must be a listening ear for them. Make me patient to listen and not to be taken up with my own concerns. May I be slow to give an answer, so that they have time to find their own answer. Their own answer will fit their needs so much better than mine. In their answer may they find your answer Lord. Amen This is taken from my squidoo page as follows A prayer for every day see here for more prayers

When the day is done and darkness has closed in around the house, it is good to sit and ponder over the days events. How many of the things we have done have been planned, and how many just happened to us? We never know what is around the corner, good or bad and truly it is best not to know, for strength will be given at the right time. We would decrease our strength with worry if we knew what hard things were coming our way. Some things are indeed hard to bear, but bear them we do and come through them to better days. Don't ask to know the future, leave it in God's hands, trust Him and He will bring you through it to the better days.

It's good when June turns out like this, lovely sun, blue skies and a cool breeze. It makes you thankful. It is amazing how a bit of sunshine really lifts our spirits. Though a grey day can be very restful. The sun makes us want to be up and doing like the animals in The Wind in the Willows. I've had a good day, short mat indoor bowling at 10 a.m. followed by lunch. Then I tackled the assignment of unit 12 of Faith and Worship, the course I'm doing to become a local preacher with the Methodist Church. When I start these assignments I feel as if I will never master them, but so far I always have so I take comfort from the previous one. Unit 11 was a terror to get to grips with but now is happily in the past. I also played piano with a youngster and then did my shopping in the town near where she lives. Back home to meet a friend and then more of unit 12. A very satisfying day. What was your day like, do tell me?

When we lose a loved one it is natural to wonder how they are faring in the next life. I would warn against going to a medium to find out. At worst these people are charlatans after your money, the rest misguided or worse. We are told in the Bible not to try to reach the dead. The best person to call on in this situation is Jesus. That's right, go to the top. He is always available through prayer and doesn't make a charge. All he requires is that you look for him with all your heart. He has the answers to all of life's difficult questions.

Isn't it amazing we spend a third of our lives asleep. With me it's almost half. We all dream but some of us don't think we do. I am very aware of my dreams and used to be able to recount them in the morning. Now I still am aware of my dreams but they "fly forgotten" in the morning, as the hymn says. Our dreams are affected by our state of mind. Jacob, in the Bible had a fantastic dream of seeing a ladder going up to heaven with angels going up and down on it and God at the top. Jacob was running away from trouble at the time. God promised to be with him and bring him home again. You can read more about Jacob on this link Interesting Bible People: Jacob

People who have inherited illnesses or health problems are more and more being given the chance to check if their unborn child has inherited a disease or not. They may then be given the chance to have an abortion. The thinking is that these children will not have quality of life and should be spared the problems. I think it is worth thinking about the quality of life. Someone who will have Huntingdon's chorea, a terrible illness, can however have a perfectly happy childhood and some time that is good in adult life. Is not this time worth having? I recently met someone with restricted sight who had felt very badly about passing on the problem to her sons; but they assured her they would rather have had the good life they had had so far, even with the prospect of poor sight ahead of them. I was shocked that people should be encouraged to abort children with this problem. Maybe it is the government who do not want to provide help for the disabled. This life is a learning ground. It is

How good it is to have friends. Someone you can depend upon, someone who knows you well and excuses your faults and stays with you and helps where they can. In return you do the same for them. Sometimes one friend and sometimes lots of friends together enjoying some shared pastime. Conversely how dreadful to be without a friend at all. Some people just do not have the knack of making friends and keeping them. Alone they stagger through this world. There is one friend who will be a constant friend to anyone who accepts him. His name is Jesus. With this friend's company you can cope without the others; but with this friend's company you will soon learn how to make more. For hints on making friends read this Making friends and keeping them

Wow, you say that's a big topic for such a little woman. Indeed it is and of course, I don't have an easy answer. I have a friend who is developing Alzeimer's. She is my age, 63. Why is it happening to her and not to me ( so far)? Well she is certainly not a bigger sinner than I am. I probably deserve it more than she does if these things are deserved, which I think not. It is true that sin as an entity has entered our world and spoilt it and this affects all of us in some way or another, chiefly in the deterioration of our bodies so that we die. My friend is not suffering for anything she has done wrong, but because of that original disobedience of Adam and Eve. That original act has had repercussions for us all down through history.

Alcohol in moderation is a pleasure for many people. For whatever reason I do not enjoy the stuff at all. True I was brought up teetotal but in adulthood tried various drinks but found I really preferred a good old J2O mango and apple. However this has not made me judgmental in my attitude to those who have problems with alcohol. It seems to me that these people have had some great problem or sadness in their lives and have turned to alcohol to try to drown out the pain, only to find that they then have another problem to live with. I explore this in my poetry and look at help available in this web page The Drunk

Where does selfishness get you? Well it might get you lots of "things" but it will also get you a lot of indignation from other people and not many will want to stick around and put up with you. On the other hand if you can learn to do a bit of sharing and lend a helping hand, things will be much better. Co-operation is a happy thing that spreads happiness. At one of the weekly clubs I attend there is one person who never helps with the washing up; their reward is that no one likes them much. With just a little bit of joining in things would be so much better. May be those of us who join in are the really selfish ones; we know how to make the system work for us.

Today I missed the morning service(I was not taking it) because I had a friend call me to say she had toothache and could I take her to the city twenty miles away to get treatment. Obviously I said "yes." So instead of a quiet hour contemplating the word of God with like minded folk I was driving and wondering where I would park and where exactly the dentist was. Instead of contemplating, I was putting the word of God into action, by loving my neighbour. Would God have been pleased if I had said, "I can't take you, I have to go to church." No, He would not have been pleased. I once knew of a farmer who if his cattle got into someone else's field on a Sunday, he would refuse to go and move them. Of course, he was getting a free feed for them at someone else's expense. He brought christians into disrepute by that action. It is easy to make excuses not to help our neighbour that look as if we are doing something good, but God sees through our duplicity

If you've never done it before, where do you start to learn to pray? Prayer isn't about saying special formulas, it's about being real about your situation and letting God listen in. In my squidoo lens given at the bottom of this post you will find the first prayer is very simple in its approach to God. God wants us to be honest and truthful with him about how things are going for us. He doesn't want long words and flowery phrases, he wants you to tell it like it is. Tell him how you feel, when you can tell no one else. He will listen and in his own way answer, but you may have to wait a while and trust. Some of my prayers have taken decades to be answered,and sometimes in strange ways, but I am happier now than I have ever been. A prayer for every day

This afternoon in the car I thought of something to say here. I've forgotten what it was. So instead I'll tell you what it's like to be forgetful. I'm sixty-three and fairly with it but there are definite signs of aging. Of course, I don't run much, except up the corridor to get to the phone. I can walk well and since losing a stone in weight I find it much easier to turn over in bed. I always have had memory lapses all my life and have developed a way of thinking through the alphabet to try to find the first letter of a word or name to trigger the memory. My mother in her later years used to describe the phenomenon of not being able to find a word, as being like a washing line passing in front of her with the word on it, but if she didn't grab it quickly it was gone. It's a funny feeling knowing what you mean but being unable to bring it out of your mouth. This must be a tiny bit like the problems stroke victims have. We all come to it sooner or late

What could be nicer at the end of the day than a nice comforting cup of hot chocolate? I'm on a diet but this has to be fitted in to the scheme of things. There is nothing quite like it even with skimmed milk. I'm sipping some now. Now I wouldn't give you tuppence for a slice of chocolate cake, in fact I would much rather have coffee cake. I also hate chocolate flavoured ice cream. I do like chocolate in a bar and also chocolates in a box, but for some reason drinking chocolate really hits the spot. Find out about the diet I am using here Lose weight like me

So what would you like the church to be like? It's not a good idea for a building to be there just for Sundays, what a waste. We're hoping to have lots of meetings that people will want to attend. Of course everyone is always welcome at the Sunday service. I think coffee mornings where people can meet in the daytime in the week and just relax and have a chatter, are a good thing. Maybe we could sometimes do a light lunch too. We could have craft sessions where people could meet and swap skills. Maybe we could have sessions to help silver surfers understand their laptops. Also something for the children. This sounds like part of a thriving community. This looks like part of the way forward.

We had a meeting to decide whether to replace the pews with nice padded chairs. That might sound trivial but it's not about the comfort of the few of us who attend services; it's about making the space a suitable place for the whole community to use. We have other things that need doing, for instance the roof needs to be repaired thoroughly. There are only a few of us but some of the money needed will be given to us if we can show how willing we are to work together to involve the whole village community. Some of those few members are quite elderly, but with their encouragement those of us who are a little younger can move forward. We have plans for fund raising, these include an exhibition of wedding dresses later in the summer. Two of the older members were very loathe to see the pews go but realise it has to be if the building is to be available for other uses as well. Read more about our church in here A little Methodist chapel in Devon, England

This morning I took a service. The Bible readings were about Elijah, by God's power, raising from death to life, a widow's son; and the other reading about Jesus raising a widow's son. These were indeed wonderful miracles, but we do not have Elijah and Jesus physically with us today. The number of people raised in the Bible is, I think under 10. So how do we cope when tragedy strikes? As christians we believe in God's goodness and love, so why does he allow such terrible things to happen to us? We do not have answers. When these things happen to a person they will often say, " I must have done something bad." I'm sure you have heard people say that. However we never say that about someone else, we always reassure them that that is not the case. It does not work like that and often the nicest of people suffer the most. I do not understand this but I do believe that God is in control, but at the same time that God is good and loves us. He does not ask us to

This is the question of all of us when we heaar of events like those in Cumbria England on Thursday. Why should an ordinary man, a taxi driver, kill his twin brother and several other people by shooting them in the open air as he drove forty five miles in Cumbria. Yes, he had problems with money, but what is at the root of such an event. You see it isn't unique, is it? We had the Hungerford massacre a few years ago and in Scotland the Dunblane tragedy. Also killings like this in the States. It seems to me that anyone is capable of an act like this given the right, or wrong circumstances. We have this dark side to our nature that leaves us open to do horrid things. That's why Jesus came so that we could be rescued from this dark side. But you have to want to be rescued. Do you want to be rescued? For more on the events in Cumbria A thought for each day

Today I played violin with my partially sighted friend. This is good because it keeps my playing ticking over, because otherwise I don't pick my violin up in the week.We played the violin parts of a Dvorak quartet. Last week we played Mozart and that seemed more complete with two parts missing than the Dvorak did. Anyway it was fun. Next I drove about five miles to meet my sister, in a canal side pub. We were joined by two cousins and their wives and the teenage daughter of one of them. I have only seen these cousins twice before. We had a meal and a good chat and swapped family stories. Then we had a short walk by the canal and saw coots and a moorhen, the one in the picture. What a lovely simple day.

Worship isn't about being in a special building or singing hymns or saying set prayers. It's about sincerity and truth and speaking to God from your spirit. Although I think coming together to worship God is important I also think that it is that individual praising each day of the week that matters most. Jesus said in spirit and in truth was more important than where. I don't want us to turn into hermits but I do want to encourage you to get alone with God on a regular basis and open yourself to Him in Jesus. We cannot grow if we are not close to our maker.

We spend our days filling our ears with distracting noise. Some of it is good, like beautiful music, or popular music with songs, the words of which make us think about life and what it is all about.How much silence do you have in your life? And if you have silence do you fill it with worry, so that your inner condition is as noisy as a train going past. Where can we find peace? I believe it can be found in trusting in Jesus. All those bad things we have done can be forgiven in him. I am not a goody, goody who has never done anything wrong. I have hurt people in my life and regret it. I did it even though I already knew Jesus.To find the peace that Jesus gives, you need to set aside time to think about him and realise he is there with you as you think. This will turn into prayer. If you look for him with all your heart you will find him and his peace.Take a look at this web page of mine A prayer for every day

Do you find second-hand books irrestible? I was at a church fete yesterday and this is really one of the best places to get books. They start off at 50p each, but as the afternoon wears on the price goes down to 10p. After that they are almost paying you to take them away. I am not a great reader and still have plenty of books at home, but I just can't resist some classis such as, Thomas Hardy's tales from Wessex, Abbe Provost Manon Lescaut, some Kafka and Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye. I got those at 10p each. I would give up the computer for a week but I'm committed to several daily comments like this and I fear the world would stop without my pearls of wisdom. Are you a hoarder of books? See my thoughts for the day on this Squidoo lens A thought for each day

I have noticed year after year that June in England is often wet and cold, but somehow other people have not cottoned on to this, so they invariably say,"It's not much like June,is it?" I say, "Well yes, it is actually." They find me strange.I must ask my friend from the Met Office to find me some statistics for June over the last few years, see if I can proove my point. It's true to say that we often expect things to be how we think they should be when, in fact, the evidence is all against it. We expect Christmas to be blissfully happy when in fact, many families end up having a row because too much is expected of the occasion.We have a tendency to expect too much of this life altogether. It is a learning ground, a time to test things, a time to find a way that works. Jesus said he had come so that we could have life to the full, but he didn't mean things would be easy. The way was not easy for him and it is not for his followers.

I have a friend who once said she would rather sit and look at a wall than do house work. I know how she felt. I am the world's worst housewife, particularly when it comes to washing up. Yet I feel it would be silly to get a dishwasher when there is just me here. Now you may think it very unhygienic and that I am putting myself in danger of food poisoning. However I am of the opinion that I am maintaining a very healthy immune system by exposing it to small amounts of problem material. My first husband has a fridge which hasn't seen a jay cloth in several years and he is bursting with health. My children like to say that it's Dad's fridge which has made him immortal. I do feel bad about my lack of cleaning and hoovering and tidying and I keep turning over a new leaf, but very soon more exciting things get in the way. This blog is one of them!

My daughter and her fiance came to lunch today, in fact he cooked it and very good it was. Such a delight to be cooked for. Her Dad was also here. We all get on fine. We did fall out a bit on holiday last year but that was down to me being tired and not making enough allowances!! We joke about it constantly and probably that is the best way to deal with these little hiccups. The weather has turned cold and wet again. After all it is a Bank holiday weekend and the weather always seems to be annoyingly bad then. I've been cooking sausage rolls this evening ready for a tea at church tomorrow. I'm a bit busy tomorrow. Taking church in the morning then doing teas at a meeting in the afternoon and then shoot off to the tea at my church straight after that. And they call it a day of rest.

It isn't there. What did I do wrong? Well I had better repeat, I passed section B of my preaching course. Halfway through now. I really enjoy taking services. It's all about helping people to worship God, mostly by saying what I think He is like, based on the Bible primarily. Although I find the idea scarey I would like people to be able to stop me when I'm preaching and ask questions and even disagree with me, politely I hope. Most things in life are inter-active and I think services should be too. Maybe I've got to start asking for that. I could take a roving mike around the congregation and get some participation. After all the preacher is just an ordinary human being who doesn't have all the answers. What do you think? Would you like a church where you could have your say? Here's my lens on becoming a preacher How to become a local preacher in the Methodist church in the U.K.

Most of us sleep for a third of our lives!! Some more, some less. We must be a kind of rechargeable battery. Sleep is a great mystery to us. Sleep deprivation takes a terrible toll on us if we suffer it. Even Jesus slept. Although being fully God he was also fully human. He suffered hunger and thirst as we do and needed sleep too. How amazing that God humbled himself to be one of us. He did it to lift us back up to Him. He did this by His life here and by his death on the cross. It is a great mystery how this works but we are not required to understand it, but to believe it.You might like some of the poetry on these two lenses Inspirational Meditations and More Inspirational Meditations

As a christian I believe marriage should be for life. But I haven't managed to live up to that. True I managed 28 years with the first one, but only seven with the second. Now I live happily on my own. So I failed, but I have also survived and learnt a lot. Now I try not to criticise other people in how they live their lives. I think that sentence about going a mile in someone else's shoes is very pertinent. So at church I encourage people to look at their own failings and have sympathy for others. There is a desperately wrong attitude among some church goers in thinking themselves better than the people in the street who don't claim to be good. Let's face it we are all human beings with human failings. Not one of us can come up to God's standard. We all need Jesus. Read about a man with failings, yet God loved him. Interesting Bible People:Jacob

I have just watched this DVD lent to me by some friends. A wonderful story of a young man who was so disgusted by today's society that he went off to live in the wilds of Alaska, to find out what life should really be about. For some reason it made me think of Jesus wandering the roads of Israel, going from village to village teaching his disciples and healing the sick. He also challenged the leaders of that day's society about how they were treating the poor and marginalized.I'm not really up to date with today's films and songs but I plan to become so as I would like to use them to illustrate what Jesus was teaching and how it relates to us today, in my services. The good news is for everyone so we need to relate to them by using material they love and understand.The life of Christopher McCandless is inspiring because he knew what he did not like in society (and there is plenty wrong with it) and went searching for some answers. Are you looking for answers? Seek a

Why do we want to blog our thoughts to the world? I guess we feel we have sommething important to say. As a preacher I want to tell people about Jesus. But what does that mean? Who is this Jesus? He is the one who stood up for the under dog, the poor and the under-privileged, those without a voice. But also where everything was wrong between us and God he put things right by sacrificing himself on the cross. O.K. so we don't understand how that works but it's what we christians believe and we find it works for us. Unfortunately we christians are fallible humans and we don't live up to Jesus's standards as we should. We are not much of an advert for Jesus. O.K. we call ourselves christians but what about the rest of you? Well only God can know and say who is a christian and who not, it is not for us to decide. The other thing Jesus did was to tell off the religious leaders. Oh dear I suppose as a preacher I am a religious leader so I had better make sure I am foll

Isn't it bliss to stay in a friends home. You can really get stuck into a book and relax. In your own home there is always something that needs doing. Some cupboard to tidy or a drawer to sort out. But here it's not my problem. There is just the dog to walk twice a day but that's a pleasure as I enjoy walking. So I am relaxing and letting all the stress fall away. So I won't spoil it by saying too much here. Do you know how to relax? Take a look at this Have a me day

Playing for a funeral is quite a responsibility. The family and friends are grieving and they don't want hiccups from the organist. Fortunately all went well. They had recorded music for the coming in and going out of the coffin. So I was just required to provide some music before hand and accompany the hymns. Organs are supplied with rear view mirrors so that you can see what is going on behind you in the congregation. For the hymns you have to give a solid lead and not be put off if the congregation don't seem to be singing very much. The secret is to set a good pace, not to quick and not too slow. I did not know the departed man but noted that he was six months younger than myself, a significant thought. As John Donne said,"Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." We all have to face up to our own mortality. If you are recently bereaved you might find my poems helpful Poems of loss

Tomorrow I'm to play on a proper church organ for a funeral. Today I went to the town and had a practice. I'm a violinist really and piano comes second. I have some experience of playing for church in little rural churches where there are little electronic organs. This means playing a real church organ, a pipe organ, is a bit daunting. There is such a powerful sound comes from this organ. The minister was desperate as all the other organists are on holiday or in hospital. So I have to grit my teeth, steady my nerve and do my best, which is usually adequate but not faultless.Fortunately this type of organ sounds well even without the pedals so I won't be getting my knees knotted but use hands only. If you want to see what other music I'm interested in look at this link My music lensography

I took my friend short mat bowling tonight. We had a good time. When we got back her neighbour blocked her way up the path and refused to let her to her door. There were three rottweilers roaming about as well. What is this ? The wild west?It is now 11.20 p.m. and I'm tired so that's all you are getting tonight. Except do you know what short mat bowling is? If not look here. Short mat bowling

How do you think of eternity? Perhaps you don't. We have a concept of the universe expanding on and on . That's one way of looking at eternity, but have you thought of looking inwards, into each cell in your body? They used to think that the atom was the smallest part of a cell but now we know that atoms have smaller parts within them. What if this is like the universe and goes on and on inside the atom. Then we would be made of eternity. No wonder when wood burns such power is released.No wonder the atom bomb was so terrible. How do you feel knowing there is eternity within you. God within you. Hadn't you better get to know Him? Read my poems the one on May 18 2010. A poem for every day in May

When I preach I want to know that I am giving people what God wants them to hear. Because this is important I want to spend a lot of time in preparation. I also want to make sure it is understandable to today's people. I'm not interested in it being erudite or clever I just want to get the message across in the best way possible. I do my best to keep close to God by spending time alone with Him. I don't expect my services to be always polished and perfect. Part of the message is our imperfection and we need to admit it. People who are hurting because of their or someone else's imperfection are not going to be helped by a preacher who presents themselves as perfect. The people need to know that the preacher and themselves are all in the same boat of imperfection and that together we can explore God's way of coping with that imperfection, namely in Jesus. The perfection of Jesus is never off-putting because it is there for us to solve our problem.

What would a good Sunday be like for you? Mine was to take a morning service in a little chapel in Somerset, U.K.then to go home and have lunch cooked for me by my daughter's fiance and then spend some time with them. Then I went to my local chapel in Devon to play the organ at a service with six other people in the congregation. Then home to catch up with my poems for Squidoo and this blog. Perhaps it sounds boring to you but I find it fulfilling. Tell me what you like to do, perhaps we could swap for a day and see how we get on living someone else's life. I must say I'm in no hurry to try, after 63 years I think I know what suits me best.Here is a lens about my chapel A little Methodist chapel in Devon, England

Today I have been to the LWPT meetings at Budleigh Salterton. Had a good day and met lots of lovely people. We spend a lot of time equipping ourselves for preaching and reaching out to people but sometimes seem not to get out there among the people we should be reaching. These meetings are good and have their place, but oh to be getting on with the job of reaching out.For every meeting we have with committed christians we should have three with those fumbling in the dark, needing answers. That means going outside the doors of the church to find them. We can't wait for them to come to us. They don't realize they can come to us because our behaviour is so foreign to them. We have to start learning their language again. We cannot expect them to learn ours.

Yes I've already broken my resolution to write here every day, but I'm making a fresh start today. The holiday is behind me with no more searching for wi-fi in Wetherspoons, or finding the wi-fi at the holiday park was not working. Now I am home with my trusted broadband. So you won't be escaping from my posts now. Life is very often about failing and making new starts (I've got my preaching hat on now)Never be totally down hearted, with the help of Jesus you can pick yourself up and start over again with a determination to do better. On your own you will sometimes be able to do this but in the end you need help, we all do. I have had two failed marriages but now I am happily on my own and training to be a local preacher. "What a cheek" you may say, but preaching is all about being able to come along side sinners and understand where they are coming from. What better than a sinner to understand sinners?

So here I am on hliday in Cornwall but I can't keep away from the internet. I have to write my blog and put my poem on Squidoo. It's become like a sacred trust I dare not break. Or what will happen? I will sink into oblivion. Well I'm pretty much in oblivion anyway, being a 63 year-old living in a rural situation. What effect does my little life have on anyone else out there and yet I feel I should try to have an effect? Therefore I have put Bible stories on Squidoo as I feel not many people know them any more. These stories are full of human situations we still all face. They are most definitely relevant to our lives now. Here is a link to one which will lead to the others, dear reader, if you so wish. Interesting Bible People:Rahab

I do seem to be a bit obsessive, which means I am likely to succeed with my new determination to write in this blog on a daily basis. Whether anyone will appreciate my efforts or not I cannot say. Are the ramblings of a 63 year old lady from the depths of Devon going to resonate with anyone out there, or will I be a voice crying in the wilderness? How many million words are written like this every day? Are we all speaking and no one listening? To speak effectively to others we need to listen, in order to understand their viewpoint.I want this to be an effective blog that brings the possibility of God to people who have no time for Him as yet. That's a tall order. To get a flavour of what I believe go to this lens Inspirational Meditations . Thank you for being here to listen.

It's time I took this blog seriously. On Squidoo I am writing a poem a day for a year. I started in April. So if I can do that there should be no reason why I can't write here every day too. Actually there may be a problem this week but certainly from Friday onwards I should manage it. So keep your eyes peeled. I am now awaiting the result of section B of the Faith and worship course for local preachers in training. I think all should be well but one can never be entirely sure. I am preparing myself for all eventualities.to get back to the poetry, I here include a li A poem for every day nk. There will be a new lens for each month, so, of course, there is one for May too.

Just a quick note to say I have completed Section B of the local preacher training. I have an assessed service coming up on March 7th, then I will be able to send everything in for assessment. I am hoping to complete C and D by September. I like to work under pressure.