Advent Sunday

i was shocked...

I was shocked, confused, bewildered
As I entered Heaven's door,
Not by the beauty of it all,
Nor the lights or its decor.

But it was the folks in Heaven
Who made me sputter and gasp—
The thieves, the liars, the sinners,
The alcoholics and the trash.

There stood the kid from seventh grade
Who swiped my lunch money twice.
Next to him was my old neighbour
Who never said anything nice.

Herb, who I always thought
Was rotting away in hell,
Was sitting pretty on cloud nine,
Looking incredibly well.

I nudged Jesus,'What's the deal?
I would love to hear Your take.
How'd all these sinners get up here?
God must've made a mistake.

'And why's everyone so quiet,
So somber - give me a clue.'
'Hush, child,' He said,'they're all in shock.
At the thought of seeing you.'

Post Office

Well done Cloughton!!

Have we got our priorities right?

Click on Wordle  to enlarge

remembering at cafe church

here's a video we used at cafe church last weekend as part of our prayer station reflections for remembrance sunday.

Events

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I have been worried that my Printer is not working. Last week I got it going by switching on and off. This week it was much more important that I have it working as the Churchwardens at St Oswalds  asked me to do a notice for them, and Spouse wanted a picture of our son in law with our grandaughters for the sitting room. I cant show it to you, it is lovely , I cant put pictures of young people in the public domain  without permission, which I have not got.

Simon said I could put a picture of Jake here, and I have the photo of the backs of some young people , no one will object to that.

At the Remembrance Service last Sunday , St Oswalds was full to bursting. It was a delight to see the Sea Scouts, Scouts, Guides and Brownies and Rainbows, all the young members of the Lifeboat Crew etc, etc  smartly uniformed and taking part in an Act of Worship where we Thanked God for the  Serving  Armed Forces ,and those from Filey past who died serving King and Queen and Country. I am so sorry I cant put a picture here to show you the scene. I want you all to know that Filey has lots of young people who will be good citizens of the future.

Back to the Printer. I was worrying about it in the small hours. I knew I had tried all the utility tabs and info points.  I had made sure all the leads were in. One dialogue box said 'communication error'. This morning I started worrying about how I was going to manage. I can print things off at the Library. I could ask the Vicars secretary to print something off at the office. I could take  the  memory stick round to my friend in Hope Street. Oh dear! I thought the one thing I haven't tried is to pray about what to do , so I did, not exactly laying hands for healing on the machine, but asking God what to do next. So I clicked open a few more tabs and realised the Ink was out. Sorted.I feel better now , my mood has lifted. Why do I always forget to go back to the Manufacturers Manufacturer?

Some corner of a foreign field .........

Not , Filey Churchyard. For those  in Filey who have loved ones buried in St Oswalds Churchyard ,it really is a special place. Anyone who like me, has occasion several times in the week to pop into St Oswalds church , so in a hurry has brought the car, will know that the car park is rarely empty . Every day winter and summer people visit  the churchyard with a few flowers, or for a tidy up around a grave with shears , or just to remember a birthday or wedding anniversary or an anniversary of death. We cannot get away from the final rite of passage. Regular readers of this blog will know that this year saw the death of  a dear friend. Her ashes are now buried in St Oswalds Churchyard.

My family are buried in the graveyard of St James Sutton -in-Holderness. My Victorian forbears are buried at Isleornsay on the Isle of Skye rarely visited now by my family, and only with scrubbing brushes and cleaning fluid. My family are historically Christians. Graveyards are special to us only for a time, whilst the  person buried is still remembered  . My family believes that Death is not the end of Life. We believe the best is yet to come. That makes a graveyard all the more special for us, as a repository , and a memory trigger. My sister , recently praising God for Healing she has received for an incurable Cancer, has visited St Oswalds Churchyard every time she has stayed with us in 18yrs. Filey is one of her places of Refeshment and Grace. She usually comes back from her walk and says 'I have been to see Mr Hunter'. He was a man of God , and has one of the Fishermans graves by the North wall of the churchyard(Sailed Home).

As teenager in the depth of angst I always went to our churchyard in the village for a bit of quiet and a think. Often as I   walk around our churchyard here, people are sitting quietly , in sorrow, in joy, in peace and recuperation.
On Sea Sunday ,Elsie Butterworth  points to the window in St Oswalds of 'Christ calming the Storm', and remarks that it is not the sea of Galilee in the window, but Filey Bay. Our historic church has been a seafarers landmark , and our Churchyard a port in lifestorms for hundreds of years. North of the Churchyard wall can be seen the remains of 'Ridge and Furrow' , proof that Filonians spent much time in this North East Corner of Filey hundreds of years ago, and always aware of their mortality with the view of the graveyard .

 Churchyards do not just happen either. St Oswalds churchyard costs thousands of pounds to maintain .Thank God then that Filey Lions Club cuts the grass in the East part of the Churchyard as a SERVICE to the COMMUNITY. I am grateful  for their voluntary devotion, and hard work. Strimming round graves is not a mornings work.

We recently spent a gorgeous autumn afternoon in the Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, Abelard and Heloise, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Edith Piaf are amongst the hundreds of famous people who are buried there. But it was was the sheer poignancy of the recent War memorials which I will remember on Sunday this week, when I watch the Cenotaph Remembrance Service on the BBC, and the march past of thousands of Men, Women and Young People, all Children of God.

We pray  for all those families known to us whose Sons, Daughters, Friends and Loved Ones are serving Her Majesty in places of Conflict, or are fearful as they prepare to depart.

Count the sacks ,or the Bells of St Oswalds

I notice from poster in St Oswald's that the tenor bell in the tower  weighs Four and a half hundredweight. I have had to put the cwt in words as I don't know how to do half on the Mac keyboard.I do know what a cwt is though. It used to be the weight of one sack of coal.

My family  used  always to buy our fuel for the winter in Summer as soon as the summer prices were announced. The Coal house would be tidied and got ready, the wooden slats to keep the fuel from falling into the back porch would be slotted in to man height. When the Coal Merchant arrived I was told to count the sacks in . So I always knew that 20 cwt made one ton, as I had to count the 20 trips from the  Lorry to the coal house with the ton of Anthracite.

So the Tenor Bell in St Oswalds Tower weighs over 4 sacks of coal. Bell ringing is all about Maths it seems. I had a friend who was and is an ardent Campanologist. He was the Captain of a Tower in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs. I used to collect his copy of The Ringing World for him, and never understood a word of it. It seemed all Maths to me, charts of changes and bobs and Quarter this and that.He used to grab Towers , and travel round the countryside Betjeman fashion .
Last Friday  I was walking along West Avenue in Filey when I heard the peal of a single bell calling the people of Filey to St Johns for the 10am Holy Communion. So go I did, and  glad I was. A  happy service, no singing, lots of people, a tangible love and a quiet hour was an oasis in a busy week.
On Sundays, 6 bells call to Morning Service and Evening Service at St Oswalds. Sometimes I have to count, when the number is not 6. Once it was just 1, a foul winter day, but Bob Hall was faithfully pealing out the Sure Hope.
How I have taken them all, the ringers I mean, for granted all my life. St Oswalds 6 bells, St Martins Dorking 8 bells (maybe 10 now) St Michaels Southfields 1bell (Mr Misslebrook!), Ripon Cathedral 12 bells, St James Sutton in Holderness 6 bells. Thank you all !
The Psalms of Ascent have the right idea too, so we'll have 122 (CEV)
¹It made me glad    to hear them say,
   "Let's go to the house
   of the LORD!"

Tonight is Filey Lions Bonfire night-WE USUALLY SUPPORT IT WHOLEHEARTEDLY

Have they made a mistake this year?

Interesting article in Times Online put a whole debate in the public forum with help from the Roman Catholic Church.What do you the  people of Filey have to say? Every shopkeeper I talked to this morning  thought that Filey Lions had got it wrong this year.

See also what Bishop Nick Baines has to say, and the Churchmouse.

Me-well I am taking small grandchild to the Filey Lions Bonfire as usual. A Bonfire tea to be eaten outside awaits the family. Bonfire Parkin had been made. We are going to have fun , and no one is dressing up.

Birders in the churchyard

Last Sunday at the end of the service at St. Oswalds Mary told me there were a lot of birdwatchers outside. I was glad I had a small pair of emergency binoculars in my rucksack which I use for carrying music! I went out and followed the birders and there were two Black Redstarts flitting about on the church tower! The last time I saw one of those was over 20 years ago so it was a lovely addition to my time of worship! The picture is not my own but was downloaded from Flickr and was taken in France by lilivanderhulst.

Raptured?

Lets send some post.........

One of the side effects of blogging has been a surprise to me. I have rediscovered the joy of writing letters and when on holiday ,postcards. All those critics who fear the demise of the language , and a need to communicate by spoken word may be surprised that we actually interact more than ever before in the history of mankind using language.

I take a pride in the postcards I send to my family. I choose them with care, and try to fit the card to the interest of the addressee.We have just been to Paris.

I looked for a Post Office all the first day . By day two I realised that the PO in France did not have a red sign with a yellow horn, that is Norway. I started looking for a yellow sign with the blue writing 'poste' that I had spotted from the 47 bus to the Place d'Italie. Once on the ground so to speak , they were very difficult to find. At the Place des Abbesses having visited a church ( art nouveau) there was La Poste nearly opposite the church door.I worked out how to use the stamp machine, very pleased with myself until the denomination was asked. I queued up to ask the price of a lettre to Angleterre,and got a book of 12.  They come in 12s which is unusual in a Decimal age, I thought.

I wrote the PCs watching CNN in the hotel room, the only channel I could understand.I would have enjoyed Brother Cadfael, but it was dubbed in French.Now to find another PO near our hotel. We went past three on the buses to the Renoir exhibition. By the end of day three I realised that 50m from our hotel was a post box.  I needed to send four more PCs to family , found some great ones at the Cimetiere Pere Lachaise . PC 's of  Memorials to Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison ,Oscar Wilde and Abelard and Heloise would be discussed amongst my closest kin and they would realise what an eclectic taste I have . Ancient parent had been sent the PC of  the Church in Place Des Abbesses , or rather the statue of the angel pouring water which doubled as a Holy Water stoup.

On our last evening I spotted many PO vans. from the Promenade Plantee. I just had to be near the Mount Pleasant of Paris.

Early next morning almost a Frenchwoman, I bought our breakfast at the Boulangerie, and bread and cheese for our lunch on Eurostar. The 47 bus again took us to the train and Passport control behind us we settle down to  dey par. I find the Postcards in my handbag just before we leave.
Spouse not pretending to be French talks communicates with the Platform Attendent. The last we see of Gare du Nord is an obliging homme posting our cards in his pocket  so that on his way home and having no difficulty at all locating a metal yellow box on a stalk will send our PCs on the their way to the UK sorting and delivery and strike system.

Oh, how sweet the light of day,
   And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
   Even if you live a long time, don't take a single day for granted.
   Take delight in each light-filled hour

Ecclesiastes 11

conkers!

at cafe church last week we had an autumnal theme, with reflections looking at the season and what it offers us.

below is a video we used plus some words prepared for our pray and reflect space. if you're the praying kind, please use them as your own prayer for how you can use this time of change, growth and harvest.



Autumn is a season
of mellow fruitfulness and abundant goodness,
of harvests gathered in and thanksgiving,
of glorious colour and dramatic change...
a time of great beauty.

But autumn is also a season
for pruning, for cutting back,
for falling leaves and bare branches,
for dying away and waiting...
a time of harsh changes.

Autumn reminds us,
of the rhythms of life, ebbing and flowing,
of the seasons of creation; birth, death and rebirth.
We face who we are and who we are yet to be;
knowing that above all there is One who remains the same yesterday, today and forever.

Here we pause and create the space
to recall what has gone before,
to reflect on who we are now,
to renew our dreams for the future.

Nostalgia and repentance

Peter Church took this picture.  I am doing the right thing.  I am not claiming it is one of mine. It is the picture of a pub where we had lunch yesterday at the remarkable price of £8 for two people for two courses. We hadn't meant to have lunch out, but having taken Aged Parent to bank and supermarket in Beverley we decided to come straight home and not have a sandwich with her. She had to go out again (in Taxi )after lunch  for a Retinal test, and preferred the two short trips than one long one approach. Mother insisted on giving me £10 for a cup of something on the way home. She will be thrilled to bits when she hears that we also had a cooked lunch, excellent service, at a pub with plenty of easy parking (I am a bit  dilatory and enept in this department as my prayer partners will have witnessed recently).
I have driven or been driven past this  pub for over 50 years. Every time I see the sign for the name "Nags Head" I recall a remark I made to my Aged Parent when she was not yet Middle Aged Parent  comparing her with the eponymous sign.
I am sorry. I am recalling the way I treated my mother when I was a teenager.  I was rude, I was disrespectful, I threw a plate of scones at her once. I repent, and I have told her so. She has forgiven me. I am beginning to realise that it is never too late to Honour(respect) my Mother.  She is the only mother I will ever have.  My children will have their own agendas, we talk about when they were teenagers , and they have forgiven me for not letting them watch Neighbours  when it started.

Our drive home to Filey  from Beverley, the Leven way, included another unexpected memory jolt.

Children of the East Riding who grew up just after the war are all schooled with tales of the RAF  and the airfields at Lissett and  Leconfield, we even had an RAF station in my village of Sutton on Hull.

Although only the decaying huts remain at Lissett, a memorial to 158 Squadron  was unveiled by John Sentamu in May against the sublime background of the Windfarm that we all glimpse from high above  Grindale and Kilham, to Lissett just a few miles  south of Bridlington   .

Like a mighty tortoise......

come on in!

from asbo jesus

how refreshing

a week after manchester city striker emmanuael adebayor was fined £25,000 for taunting fans of his former club, richard dunne's goal 'celebration' was a welcome sight.


adebayor got in trouble for running the full length of the pitch to taunt fans of his former club arsenal, who were understandably angry as a result. dunne, who scored last night for aston villa (his new club) against manchester city (his old club), showed a more mature approach to celebrating his first goal for his new club. rather than cheering and jumping around with his team-mates, he simply walked back to his team's half of the pitch - his reward for this was applause from the opposition fans.

dunne said 'i really enjoyed my time at man city... as much as it was nice to score my first goal here, you still have to remember how much city have helped me... that's the way i feel. i respect the fans and everyone there so it was the right thing to do for me'

how refreshing to this this kind of approach to loyalty and recognition and being sensible in such an emotive arena.

Through the Floodgates of Gods Mercy flowed a vast and gracious tide....

At the half -night of prayer for the Gift Day we sang this hymn. It reminded me of the U tube clip of Martins Ravine during our 07 flood . 2000yrs ago  through the  floodgates of Gods Mercy flowed an unimaginable vast and gracious tide of LOVE , and it is still flowing.

Watch this space!

the last supper?

just had dinner. like most of our dinners we had some meat. tonight we had sausages and bacon.

from tomorrow, for one month, meat is off the menu.

we were challenged at this year's greenbelt festival about the impact of the meat industry on climate change plus a month of veggie meals should do us some good, so we're going vegetarian in october.

there's discipline required, maybe some health benefits and we're hoping to have some tasty veggie food.

if you have any favourite vegetarian recipes, let me know with a comment below.

Our well loved Stationer and Bookseller

I have been mentioning Wrays for three years in my blogposts. It has always been a favourite shop in Filey. I have bought all my books from him for 20 years. I gleaned the shelves in the chain stores in Scarborough, and made notes of titles I wanted with birthday tokens and the housekeeping, and always gave my order to Mr Wray. The book would arrive usually the next day , discounted with good business practice. He even knew what I would be ordering, having kept his own mental note that a new Donna Leon or Lindsey Davis or the Prom Guide would be due. He knew my name, as he did with all his regulars, and with his right hands Julie and Margaret would be a triumvirate of Service.

Ancient parent , with sholley used to process slowly to Mr Wray, during her 6 month stay with me when flooded from her home in Beverley. I would say , 'Where shall we get to today?' and she would reply ' I'll manage as far as Wrays'. She browsed happily through notebooks, paper bands, pens and Basildon Bond (for her copious correspondence) Napkins(for presents),toys for Great grandchildren, Calenders in July for November posting abroad. She was treated kindly. She went back the next day for more. She had her sit down with Carol in Fosters, bought postcards, and then we processed home.

Our regular Mondays with our little Reuben (aged nearly 3) involve a similar progression. Budgies,  Sterchis ,Angela and Mr Wray. We always buy a small toy. We save up in the Christmas Club for Sylvanians and Playmobile sets.

How we will all miss you Richard Wray. You enriched our Filey Life. Rest in Peace.

zip wire theology

a couple of weeks ago we spent a beautifully sunny day in dalby forest. we took a group of young people from filey and hunmanby on the go-ape high wire course. this course requires you to climb rope ladders up the tallest trees, to tackle obstacles such as scramble nets and tarzan swings whilst suspended 10 metres from the forest floor.



one of our group leaders was rev. sam foster (in the video above) who helps others explore fresh expressions of church. whilst reflecting on our challenging day we wondered how many sermon references we could come up with from the day's activities. talking about taking a step of faith is an obvious one, the safety advice 'always stay attached' could easily be used too.

instead of making simple theological reflections we found the day to be full of surprises, challenges and character building moments. you really get to know people when you're suspended from a wire in the tree tops together; trusting relationships are built very quickly.

to share amazing experiences in an incredible environment is a wonderful thing.

is this how church should be?

we have stopped going to church

we have stopped going to church for good.

have decided that they are all
hypocrites
inadequate
emotionally unintelligent
unforgiving
insensitive
old people
young people
disabled
alcoholics
drug dependents
socially incompetents
lonely
uneducated
middle class
working class
professionals
labourers
factory workers
office workers
mums
dads
granddads
grandmothers
noisy
quiet
medicated
well dressed
poorly dressed
healthy
unhealthy
tattooed
scarred
too friendly
too shy
fat
thin
tall
beautiful
small
black
white
gay
vicars
teachers
learners
sinners
medics
carers
lovers
shopkeepers
unemployed
retired
sick
physical
emotional

just like me.

so we went to church this morning.

ht pip wilson

Angels on the Walls

This is the title of a book I read recently. It tells what happened in a church in a Birmingham council estate. When Wallace Brown took over the church it had a few elderly people attending it and it was surrounded by barbed wire to keep the gangs from destroying the building. As Wallace tried to make the church more relevant to more people he saw the numbers at the church drop even further. The book tells us how the church grew to be a thriving witness to the community with members of all ages and an enthusiasm for reaching out. I am pleased to say this is not just a Christian success book but tells of many failures and suffering on the way to growth and during growth. It shows insight into the sort of problems a growing church can have. One thing that was highlighted to me as I read the book was the boldness of Wallace and his group of helpers. They took big risks and believed in God’s provisions. Our churches in Filey are very different from the one in the book but I am sure there is a very important lesson to be learned in being persistent in prayer and taking big risks in obedience to God. There were many surprises in the book!

Jesus at the Centre of our LIves

Jesus rounded up his friends and took them up onto Carr Naze where they had a spectacular view of the glory of God's creation. And he sat them down, up there in the fresh air, with the skylarks singing above, and the sound of the waves below, and he started to teach them.


He taught them about the beautiful attitudes (Beatitudes) which are the hallmark of life for his followers. The eight statements which give a summary of how life centred on Christ should be - just like the Ten Commandments gave the ancient Jews their rulebook.
(Check this out at Matthew 5: 2 - 11. Try The Message version - it really brings the teaching to life.)


And when he'd finished teaching them he said to them: "Right, you lot, there's no point sitting around here all day. We've got work to do. All of us. I've told you how to live, now go and get on with it. Everyone has a job in my kingdom, whether its doing, or sitting with, or praying, or any number of others things. No excuses. No age barriers. Time to hit the road. Time for action. Then come back to me again and I'll teach you some more."


"Oh, and just one more thing before you go. Take a tip from my friend Paul. You don't know him yet, but you will do." "Pray at all times, and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere."
(Ephesians 6: 18)


Pray at all times. Don't get out of bed until you've started. And be persistent - keep at it! Keep turning to Jesus. Listening to him. Telling him. Getting to know him. Yielding to him. All through the day. Whenever you're awake in the night. You may not get immediate results, and you may not always get the results you're hoping for, but sooner or later the penny will drop. Get into the rhythm of going into action for Jesus, then coming back to him for refreshment and new instructions, then going out again in his strength.

That's what he told us to do. Isn't it worth a try???

Prayers

Do they work?

• Five years without a full-time job, feeling as though I was already retired in my mid-forties.
• Asked God for help two years ago when my eldest left home and I was bereft. Started taking prescription drugs which helped but didn't really deal with anything.
• Finding a new family in the church.
• Baptism & confirmation.
• Helping anyone who asks. Voluntary work. Church.
• Still on medication. Coming off doesn't work.
• Make friends. Take up a new hobby. Feel alive.
• The topic raised at my homegroup was 'jobs'. It all spilled out. I finally admitted my work issues.
• One week later I attend a leaving do for one of the groups members and find someone I know there. A teacher. We talk. She says she's moved on at work and they need someone to do her old job. I ask a few questions. "But that's what I do!" I say, which is true but only part time.
• The next day I receive a call. Could I come for an interview. I go and I get a good feeling about the place and the people. Two days later I receive another call. When can I start?
• I started yesterday. I love it. It's what I've been waiting for. It's what God had in store all along, but he was waiting for me to admit my need and give it to him.

If you feel that your prayers aren't being answered, why not try giving them to someone else to pray about. Admit your need to them, however personal or difficult the issue is. Maybe that's what God's waiting for.

Peter

I didn't realise

So I thought  I knew plenty. I knew nothing about Homelessness in our local area, until Judith Pullen from SHSS came to talk to Mothers' Union this afternoon. I naively thought all we needed was a Night Shelter, but realise now that this is just a sticking plaster on a broken leg.
Every year SHSS helps people  to find  bed for a few nights , but more lastingly with the advice and support to get their lives back on track.  These people are not drunks and drug addicts but people(mostly men) who have walked away or removed themselves from relationships that have broken down.  Or they are ex-servicemen who left without the home and security  of the Armed forces in  a world where they are just not able to cope , or lack the skills to manage their own practical day to day lives.
So now you know, be more  informed,look at their  website.

I know what I like or The treasure in the window

I just love this time of the year.

• 2 of my grandchildren have started school. They look so angelic in their uniforms, and my grandson loves the Sponge Pudding and Custard.
• The light on the sea kept changing yesterday as we sat in near solitary splendour at our chalet 
• The emptyish  beach reminds one of the fun we had just weeks ago with cricket , wetsuits, buckets and spades ,inflatables and daily visits to the ice-cream kiosk by eager small children
• It is time to get back in to a routine of learning new things 
• Window shopping is viable again in Filey during normal working hours

A found a treasure today . A small painting for sale in a shop window, and I know what I like. 

For nearly 50 years I have enjoyed the paintings , drawings ,  embroideries and ceramics on show up and down the Yorkshire coast and into my native Holderness.

My sister and I used to cycle to the  original Routh Pottery.in the 1960s. This is  now on sale in our local Gallery Shop,which was once a small photographic shop and now is a Window Shopper's treat.  I have bought  watercolours of Filey by A... C...k in the  local  Art Society Exhibitions . Our postman is a gifted artist. We make  regular trips to Whitby to see the 'Staithes School ' exhibits in the Pannett Art Gallery, and to the Scarborough Art Gallery (free on 12th Sept) and Crescent Arts.

Many Saturdays, when I was a teenager, I used to go around Ferens Art  Gallery in Hull just for the peace and quiet of it, and so got to enjoy the looking. Here is my treasure from today then. Not in an Art Gallery, or in an exhibition of local artists or in an upmarket Gallery Shop, but nestling among the cagoules and wellingtons and rucksacks . I bought its companion painting as well.
God's kingdom is like a treasure hidden in a field for years and then accidentally found.. Matthew 13

climate change - what would jesus do?

just come back from our holidays, part of which was spent at greenbelt, a christian music and arts festival in cheltenham.

greenbelt has been part of my christian/spiritual journey on and off for 20 years. a place of encouragement, challenge, acceptance, refreshment, learning and much more. i'd like to share some parts of this year's festival on this blog.

this year, as in recent years, climate change was a key theme on the seminar programme. tamsin omond, a climate change activist, spoke on the challenges we face and asking what would jesus do about climate change. here's a short video showing her top five ways to tackle climate change.

Five ways... to tackle climate change from Greenbelt Festival on Vimeo.

what do you think? are they realistic? could you take on one or more of the challenges? use the comments system below to share your thoughts.

Its raining so Enjoy this!

Prayer in Action

O God, you asked for my hands
that you might use them for your purpose.
I gave them for a moment,
then withdrew them for the work was hard.

You asked for my mouth to speak out against injustice.
I gave you a whisper, that I might not be accused.

You asked for my eyes to see the pain of poverty.
I closed them, for I did not want to see.

You asked for my life that you might work through me.
I gave a small part, that I might not get too involved.

Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve you
only when it is convenient for me to do so
Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve you
only in those places where it is safe to do so
Lord, forgive my calculated efforts to serve you
only with those people who make it easy to do so.

O God,
You claim us as your partners,
Respecting us
Trusting us
Engaging with us.

Support us as we dare to be vulnerable with you
Encourage us as we dare take risks with you
Equip us to choose your way
So that together we may transform your world.

Amen.

Adapted from:
Walk in My Presence 2 – Nicholas Hutchinson
ISBN: 1 898366 76 4

We're loving the summer!

My busy August has come to rest for a few days. I take stock of the three week visit of ; small grand-daughters and their parents from Sussex, best friend and family from Surrey, sister and family from Cheshire and Northamptonshire, mother from Beverley, other sister from Sutton on Hull, and forays often from small grandsons and parents from Scarborough .I thank God for Family. I thank God that for most of the time the weather has been fine, that I like cooking, that we have a garden, a SBC beach hut and the tide fitted into our schedule.
Filey is doing what it has done for years. At 8:30am each morning, grandmothers like me are scurrying around the shops avoiding later queues in the greengrocer, and bakery, and buying yet more milk, more milk, more milk. Grandfathers are promising lemon-top ice-creams on the front . We sit in our beach huts watching hundreds of other families pass by on the promenade. We discuss their outfits, tattoos, suntans , prams, dogs, as they pass. They are doing the same , discussing us , as we sit on our loungers drinking tea and reading a line in the paper over and over again. On an sunny August day ,tide, beach, chips, shops, sea , yellow and red flags, windbreaks ,wasps may make a perfect day.Thank-God for the seaside.
The countryside is also doing what it has done for years. It has been tamed somewhat . The Dalby Forest now has metalled roads, a Childrens playground-tastefully sylvan, a New Visitor's Centre , walkways and cafes. But the Bridestones are the same , a touch of wild adventure for the under sixes with a picnic , grandparents and a bottle of factor 50. Thank -God for beautiful views.
The North East coast is doing what it has done for years, the lifeboat is called out, children are lost, helicopters hover over the low tide strand at Hunmanby -Gap, The MV Patricia excites interest , the Yorkshire Belle and Regal Lady take a trip to the Bay . Thank God for safe-returns.
So I have an interlude of a few days. Friends will visit soon.
I have time to get back to gardening. For three weeks all I have had time to do is teach small children to spot caterpillars. Yesterday I had to do more than seek and destroy. I have had to remove all my Brassicas to the compost bin. I am trying to Thank-God for such healthy and fat caterpillars , now pupating somewhere. All I can think of is Thank-God I have time , just ,to Plant more Kale, and ask Him to make me like it.

When God seems far away ...

"There will be times when we feel nothing like praying, just as there will be times when the worship of the
Church in general and the time of intercession in particular seem lifeless and dry.
These are often occasions when some are tempted to
give up but they are usually the times
when God is more at work than we realise,
in the dryness and dullness, the routines and
the apparently meaningless words."

Quote from "Do This - The Shape, Style and Meaning of the Eucharist" by Kenneth Stevenson. Published by Canterbury Press in 2002. ISBN 1-85311-464-2

Jesus has promised us that His well of living water will never run dry.

With love in Christ

AuntyPam

Killer crab attacks Filey Lifeboat

Not true of course , but if you have been a grass widow whilst the re-run of 'Twenty Thousand leagues under the sea' or 'Moby Dick' takes to the small screen yet again in our house, you will begin to understand truth can be stranger than fiction. Now I suspect that a hidden agenda is lurking in the legend
'Killer crab attacks Filey Lifeboat ,Heroic seagulls swoop to rescue'
but that is not my concern today. This daughter of the sea, in the order not of Melchizedek ,but Merchant Seaman has always supported the Flying Angel charity, now known as Mission to Seafarers(see our Mission link). Sitting in our chalet with binoculars I catch sight of tankers on the horizon, and huge container ships. Today I think of the missing cargo ship , and of the merchant seamen on board, as negotiations must be taking place after ransom demands, aggravated extortion and alleged hijacking are investigated.
In Filey on our Lifeboat weekend we also are thinking of ,and thanking God for, our own lifeboat crew. They also risk peril on the sea. I like the thought in the window of my optician

in the garden

cafe church on sunday moved into the garden and the garden was used as inspiration for the activities and reflections.

the sun shone, croquet was enjoyed (by the children mostly) as well as giant snakes and ladders. you could contribute to the perfect garden, read the papers or pray as you take in the wonderful shrubs, bushes and flowers.

on sunday church was taken outside the building, albeit not very far, we had the best attendance so far and largely from people we hadn't seen before in church.



what a great way to use the garden at st. john's. thanks to those who maintain it and care for it for us to enjoy.

The amazing Bar-tailed Godwit

I have seen this bird several times in my life mostly on the Tees Estuary when I lived in Middlesbrough. I have also seen them in Filey a few years ago. In the magazine “British Birds” I read of some Bar-tailed Godwits breeding in Alaska which had satellite transmitters attached to them. These showed that they flew across the Pacific Ocean to winter in New Zealand, flying non-stop for 8,000 – 11,000 kilometers in 6-9 days. One female bird flew the full 11,000 km. without stopping in 8 days! Isn’t this amazing? That made me think that if God can sustain a mere bird, how much more can He provide for us! (Luke 12:6-7)
[ There wasn’t any handy bar-tailed godwit for me to photograph so I found one on Flickr taken by Rupert Pye which is much better than one that I would have taken!]

Joy and privileges

When I started blogging in 2006, I realised that for me it was and is a great joy. I have the freedom to share my opinions, thoughts, my failures and successes, my bright ideas and my foolish ones with the cyberworld.
In my reading group at Filey Library are several authors, and listening to them I know it is really hard to get published in paper form. It seems to be about who you know, where you are and who can interest ,even bother (vb)to take an interest. Blogging is just not like that at all. Anyone can do it, anywhere, and it is totally free.You need access to a Computer of course, and the Internet . In Filey Library you may have 30 free minutes a day on one of theirs (not Tuesday or Sunday) , you just have to pre-book at busy times.
I have a lot to thank Filey Library for actually, It was Chris (Thanks)the librarian who helped me set up my first e-mail account and steered me through Webwise, a BBC interactive Tutorial for anyone wanting to use the Internet mailing for the first time. This for me led on to sessions at the Evron Centre where the YCC held (no Longer) classes as part of their Adult learning Programme, learning Text Processing, Desk Top Publishing,Using the Internet course, Website Building for beginners etc .This was a privilege for me, to learn as an adult , to be treated kindly and patiently , to gain skills that then got me Full Time work.
Blogging now, is a skill easily learned ,once the fear of pressing the wrong key has gone. I have found that because I blog , so my letter writing has taken off again. I have ,you could say re-discovered the use of Language, Grammar and communicating. My English teacher (Greatfield High School 1961-4) lives in Filey (clue here-Summoned by Bells). At the back of my mind I am still thinking that he will be marking my musings and correcting my syntax.
Blogging gives you freedom to express opinions, to read those of others, to develop rational, to contribute to a debate, to keep informed and to make contacts and cyberfriends.

I have always been a reader of the Forth Estate. This is historical. My family took the Yorkshire Post every morning and the Mail in the Evening. It wasn't until I was in my teens that I realised that the Mail wasn't THE Daily Mail, but a provincial rag 'The Hull Daily Mail'. These papers helped me to realise that opinion was just that, a slant on a perceived truth.
Now I read about 16 blogs a day(At the moment and growing). All right for her I hear you say. I do not have to go to school every day now. I do not have to clean the house every day. I do not have to watch TV every evening . I am organized. My 16 blogs are all collected every day by Google Reader and I click on that and see all the days contributions. Like reading the paper, but I only have to read what interests me. I am interested in all the current debates in the Anglican church. So I read

• Ruth Gledhill's blog(Articles of faith) in the Times online
• The Churchmouse one of the most popular blogs , and much quoted by bishops of all churchmanship
• Nick Baines's Blog -one of the Blogging Bishops
• space for Bishop Richard
  
• Cranmer a political Christian blog
  
• the respected blog of Peter Ould -An Exercise in the Fundamentals of Orthodoxy
• Rev David Keen's St Aiden to Abbey Manor,( a breath of fresh air of a blog )
• and the blog that was the inspiration that got us all going on this one -Tim'sBlog, the diary of a very busy Area Dean.
• Bible views in Broad Strokes is a blog of the thoughts of Russell Warne as he reads his way through the bible. It is very Funny , with wry comments too on the state of the Church Universal militant or not, here on earth.
  

This Parish blog is done on Blogger, another member of the Google Family. Blogging is a Joy and a privilege because

• I have the freedom to express my views
• I have the freedom to read the views of others
• I can comment on views I disagree with
• I can interact with people with similar interests (networking)
• I can stop interacting when I change my mind about the usefulness to me of anothers blog.
• I am keeping my brain active and staving off the death of brain cells.

The websites of those supporting the Suffering Church remind us of the privilege of free speech .

• Open Doors
  
• Barnabas Aid
  
• Persecution.com

God can do anything you know-far more than you could ever imagine of guess or request in your wildest dreams. He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Glory to God in the church!
Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus!
Glory down all the generations!
Glory through all millennia! Oh Yes!
Ephesians ch3 v20-21 (The Message)

A wedding with a difference

Pleasure v Pain

On Wykeham Lake at the weekend trying our best to keep our boats upright and often failing, a friend and I learned again that the best things in life do not always come easily. Our knees were black & blue from kneeling on the hard hull of the little Topaz dinghies, our heads ached from being hit repeatedly by the boom as it gibed across the boat at full pelt, we were soaking wet after capsizing umpteen times, our forty-something out of condition bodies were screaming 'what's going on' as muscles we didn't know we had were put under strain, and our brains were utterly confused with all the new information we were being asked to process. I can't speak for my friend but I'm pretty sure that, at times during the weekend, he was thinking the same thing as me; 'Why did I ever agree to do this?'.

Then there were those times when the boat seemed to decide that it was going to do what it was made for, despite being helmed by a complete idiot. As the rudder turned it across the wind and the sails tightened, it would suddenly heel over and immediately pick-up speed as the centre board counteracted the sideways thrust. To keep it balanced you had to scrambled up on to the side and lean out whilst keeping the sail and the rudder in the right positions. And then it was a question of hanging on while you were carried along, the wind blowing passed you and the water making a wonderful sound as the bow sliced through it. There was a taughtness between the boat and the wind which I was controlling and it felt as though I was part of it.

We practiced gibing, tacking, reaching, running and learned things we never knew about aerodynamics and how a sail works like an airplane wing on it's side. Hours passed in what seemed like minutes and suddenly it was time to return to the beach (reluctantly). It was only when we had unrigged the boats and got changed that I (for one) began to realise what we had done. It was an achievement, not because it was easy but because it was hard. I don't think I'll ever make a competent sailor, but trying will be very worthwhile.