Pancake anyone?

I have just had a pancake - hardly an earth shattering statement, especially considering it's Pancake Tuesday. The thing is pancakes are not my favourites. I'd never think of having one normally. They come pretty far down the list of my 'things to have with my coffee'. But today I had one - lovely actually - filled with raspberry and white chocolate. Yum!

But why? Because it's what you do today? because everyone else is having pancakes? The latter is certainly not true because by nature if 'everyone' does it the rebel in me rises up and refuses! I suppose though there is something in me that likes these little customs and traditions. I especially love it when we carry on family traditions and then, even better, make our own. There's something comforting in it all.

Today the pancake custom reminds me that Lent begins tomorrow and I'm still considering what I might do to mark it this year. I'm not one of the 'giving up chocolate' brigade. I will certainly give up something, but only in order to 'take up' something else - something beneficial; something of a challenge; something that will cost me; something I can offer God. What that is stays largely between me and Him - once I've come up with IT!

But my very tasty pancake and the coming of Lent and then Easter reminds me of all I have. I have so much to be thankful for. I have a home I share with my best friend. I have 2 mad dogs which bring us lots of laughs. I have things to do which bring me real joy and satisfaction. I may not have much 'real' family left, but I have a wonderful world-wide family and am 'mama' to some fabulous children. And as I think of them I am thankful that on this day I have more than enough food to eat - including pancakes - and pray that they too will eat enough today.

And I am thankful for Jesus. No matter what I might give up or take up, nothing compares with all he gave up, and the cross he took up, for me. So I simply say thank you Jesus.

And the Oscar goes to .....

The Oscar winners are in and I was glad to see '12 Years a Slave' was successful. That's partly because for once I have kept up and have actually seen the film. I found it powerful, moving and harrowing. It left me with the question of how could such a thing have happened? What ever made man think he could use and abuse a fellow human in such a way? 

I think the answer is in the question. Man didn't see man as a fellow human. He became something less; he became a commodity to be traded. And today, maybe for different purposes at times, trade in humans continues because someone looks at another and sees a 'For Sale' sign; a commodity to be traded.

And lest we self-righteously feel our hands are clean we need to remember that when we look at ANY human being and see them as 'other'; as less than human; we ought to beware. We all need freeing from self-righteousness, judgmentalism and prejudice. 

Coincidentally (?) today I just read this - 'If the Son sets you free, you are free through and through'

'One person's rubbish . . . . .?'

The car boot queens were at it again this morning. This was another of those fundraising mornings involving selling stuff no longer wanted or items donated - and being careful to BUY NOTHING yourself! The second part of the deal didn't work and never does - home with some lovely boxes, notebooks and new coffee mugs!

Every time I look at our boot table I think - 'who on earth will buy (this time round) a watch with no battery, a giant dice, a bag looking like it was made of your granny's old curtains and a back scratcher?!' But yet again we discover that there is a buyer for most items out there and a home for each treasured piece.

Doing boot sales is as much about the people and the conversations as anything else. We hadn't done one for a long time so it was good to see some old 'booty friends'. It is also a great place to people watch and play the 'I know who that is but - 

* where from?

* what's her name?

* how is it she seems to know me?' game.

I also think that one day I will be that person who finds the buried treasure bought for £1 and sold for £1,000's. Boot sales remind me that what we might call rubbish isn't so when in the right hands. And that's exactly what God says to us. You might think you've messed up, rubbished life or aspects of it - but God calls you treasure because in His hands that's exactly what you are - highly prized treasure - worth dying for.

By the way we raised some money for Rwanda. The dice sold to a lady who said they were hard to find! The bag looked amazing, quirky and cool over its new owner's shoulder, the back scratcher is still there - but if suddenly your back is starting to itch you know where I am! And the watch - gone to the great watch-maker in the sky!

'D' - lightful!

When I lived overseas one of the highlights of any day was the mail. I had to travel to the Post Office to get it and nothing can describe either the joy in receiving or the disappointment at finding nothing there. And then there were the parcels - even better. I received some very unusual items in packages. One of the most memorable got me an invite to customs as the white powder leaking from the parcel had caused some concern. Love my sherbet fountains - what can I say?! When we had visitors it was lovely so see them but even lovelier to see what they'd brought with them - chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! And, for some reason Angel Delight. Peru didn't really do puddings so I suppose something like Angel Delight became extra special, particularly among the English.

All of this gets me around to my little God alphabet - now 'D' for delight! This is a lovely, lovely God word because it tells us that God delights in us. According to dictionary definitions God is charmed, enchanted, captivated, entranced and thrilled by me. And I give him pleasure, happiness, joy and gladness. Wow! Simply writing those words makes me smile, sit up that bit straighter and taller (?) and feel better about myself. To think that this is how God sees me is amazing. And surely that ought to change me. Maybe if I saw myself more as God sees me I would be the better person for it. I see lots of fb posts on how we shouldn't concern ourselves with how others see us, particularly if they are putting us down - but we can do even better than that. We can look in a mirror and say 'God delights in me - he is charmed, enchanted, captivated, entranced and thrilled by little ME'. And not by what I do or what I have achieved - but just by who I am - simply by me. In response he asks us to delight ourselves in him - in all we are and in what we do to give him pleasure, happiness, joy and gladness. 

And Angel Delight - if you ever invite me to dinner, please don't feel obliged to serve it up - think I had my fill of it all those years ago. 

I like to think my tastes have become more sophisticated. Bring on the jelly and ice cream!

But if you would like '1001 ways with Angel Delight' I think I can oblige!

Pennies from Heaven

I was a Brownie once. I loved it and vividly remember many of the details of Brownie life. I can almost smell the shoe polish as my dad polished my had-to-be brown shoes. And the smell of Brasso as I insisted on polishing badges and buckles myself. I was definitely an OCD Brownie. Everything had to be exactly right!

One Brownie event I loved was 'Thinking Day' when we were encouraged to think of Brownies all over the world, and in the case of my Brownie pack, generally think good thoughts all day. As part of Thinking Day we had to shine a penny, along with the badges and buckles. I'm not too sure what that was all about, but I loved the shiny pennies. I'm just realising that I have no idea what became of them!

Sally and I get lots of pennies. They come in bags and jars and boxes from so many people who save their small change or ambush family and friends for theirs - all for Rwanda. Just today The latest box arrived. I can't tell you what joy these pennies bring to our house. People often half apologise for what to them seems so little, but those pennies mean a lot to us. They speak of commitment to our work, love and concern for the people of Rwanda who receive help as a result, and I can't put into words how much all this encourages us. Every penny counts and every penny is precious.

Today I also remember another penny from childhood. A boy knocked me over in the playground and my very favourite teacher gave me a cold penny to hold against the bump on my head. Don't think anyone had heard of A&E and concussion! When I went to return it to her she said I could keep it. She may as well have given me a thousand pounds, it was so precious. A little girl who rarely had money for sweets (violins out!) didn't even spend it for a very long time. I treasured that penny so dearly. That was largely because of the person who gave it to me - the giver made the gift special.

So to everyone out there who continues to give me pennies today - thank you. They are precious, yes, because of how much stuff they turn into in Rwanda, but also because you, the givers are precious too. Never underestimate the value of the penny - each one counts and is much appreciated.

And the bump on the head? Some would say that explains a lot! it was almost worth it for that very special penny.

All for one and one for all!

It's team time again - well at least the beginnings - the search for a Rwanda team for 2015. I have a good idea of the kind of team for this time round and some names in mind. Will be asking shortly! It's an exciting part of the process, but not the easiest. For Rwanda's sake and for the sake of individual team members it is important to get it right. This is where I am relieved that the real team picker is God and even when I don't get it he does know exactly what he's doing.

So what makes a team? Well, here are some thoughts.

'T' is for together. Always on the look-out for good team players; people who will play the game with others; play their part for the good of the rest; respect leadership - a kind of all for one and one for all. Yes, I'm looking for the musketeers!

'E' is for each - because while we want a good closely knit team we also love that each person brings that unique something that is all their own. Each has his/her own gifts, personalities and abilities. And even their own quirkiness. Love watching how God uses the quirky!

'A' is for adaptable. From experience this is a bigger challenge for some than it is for others! Even with the most detailed of planning nothing EVER goes to plan. You can sit around bemoaning the fact and going on about how 'they' should do better or different - or adapt - and learn that your way is not the only way - nor even always the best way.

'M' is for ministry - the willingness to serve. This is a must. There needs to be the expectation that hands will get dirty and hearts broken as we give all of us to all of 'them'. This is hugely rewarding but costly. Nothing ever quite prepares anyone for this - either the cost or the blessing.

Of course an overseas missions team may not be for you, but we are all on a team - the Jesus team - and all of the above apply as we serve him wherever and whenever. I'm sure we could all do the 'together' thing better, do our own thing better, adapt better and serve better. Jesus had a team and what a motley crew that was! And he has a team now - called the church. If Jesus were on the sidelines now as we play the game, I wonder what he would be shouting?!

Back to my team in formation - it's an exciting but wee bit daunting part of the whole process. Wouldn't be the first time I've been told - 'well, all the best with that lot!' before leaving! And then there's me - because they have to contend with me - now there's a challenge!

Lost and Found

I am the world's expert on getting lost. I have had some scary and very amusing moments in the country called 'Lost'. I once got on the wrong bus in Lima and decided that the only thing to do was stay put - once I realised - as it was late and dark and scary. I figured that that was safer and once 'there' (wherever 'there' was) I could decide what to do. We got to the end of the line which turned out to be the middle of nowhere and I was the only person on the bus apart from the driver - people don't generally want to go to the middle of nowhere. The driver turned to me and said 'Now where exactly did you want to go?' I told him and he kindly took me to another bus and told that driver where to leave me. I have been 'lost' umpteen times in hospitals and shopping centres - my specialities! And on several occasions have had to phone someone, describe where I am and find out how to get where I need to be!

My bunch of girlies and myself were talking last night about what it is to be lost in the sense Jesus meant it - how we are/were all lost; how some seem more lost than others; how some don't know they're lost; how some almost deliberately get lost; how some, like me, are simply more prone to being lost! Jesus doesn't want us living in the land called 'Lost'. That's why he came to find us. But we can be a bit stubborn. Men have a reputation for never asking for directions - the macho thing apparently is to drive round in circles until you eventually find where you are going no matter how long it takes and how much fuel you waste! Can I say men are not the only ones? I have travelled many miles out of my way, not really 'lost' - simply taking the scenic route!

I put down my tendency to get lost to an absence of any sense of direction. I could easily go out my front door right now and take a wrong turn at the gate. So when I think of the whole thing of Jesus finding me - and I'm so glad he did - I see it as him giving me direction in life. It's like he found me, picked me up and pointed me in the right direction. And I haven't stopped since. Jesus has made a few gentle direction changes now and again, but I know with him I am on the right track. And with him I can never be truly lost. I'll never really end up in the middle of nowhere because with God there is always an amazing somewhere. Not only does he give us direction, keep us from getting lost, but he is also the destination. Can't get better than that.

Some one has said that things are never really lost. They are simply not where they were last seen or where they are meant to be. When Jesus came for us he came to place us where we are meant to be - and the adventure begins!

By the way, if you ever see me wandering anywhere looking lost, I probably am! I might tell you I am simply taking the scenic route, but that's generally not true, so have mercy, save me some energy and gently point me in the right direction!