A Miraculous Journey

Last Sunday 20th December, we had enjoyed a fantastic Christmas Family Service with a packed house, carols, a nativity play with a real donkey, mulled wine and mince pies, followed by a great afternoon with our families who live nearby.

Joyce and I returned home to complete our packing ready for our car journey to Germany the following day, where we were to spend Christmas with our daughter Coralie, her husband Jens and their five children. The weather forecasts across the country, and the traffic conditions around Dover were not looking at all good. Our ferry was booked for 12 noon the following day.

By 8pm we were ready and packed; as we prayed we felt we should have a bath and get to bed right away. We decided that if we woke up earlier than the alarm which was set for 4am, we should set out without further delay. We both awoke at 1am and had the overwhelming sense to get up and leave immediately. At 1.45am we set out and as we reached Bristol the snow was thick, traffic on the M5 travelling very slowly. But as we travelled east the weather improved and by the time we reached the M25 the roads were clear and there was no congestion. We reached the ferry port in 3 ½ hours and were in good time to catch the 6am ferry – no questions asked about our later booking.

The snow was thick in Dunkirk, and again we travelled on snowy roads almost as far as Brussels. It was not all plain sailing as temperatures fell as low as minus 9c and our screen washer froze – I had been too sparing with the screen wash fluid! As we entered Germany the roads were clear and we were making great progress. But just around Cologne the snow began to fall again and we wondered whether we were going to make it. This snow fall only lasted about forty miles and the roads got better. We eventually arrived in Frankfurt Germany by 3.30pm.

We had driven 600 miles in complete safety and received and rapturous welcome from our family.

However, many of our friends and family were wondering how we were managing. Were we stranded in Dover, buried in a snowdrift in France, sliding on ice in Belgium, delayed in Germany? No we were safe and warm in Frankfurt, Germany.

As we reflected on the way God had led us, we were amazed at how we had been guided and protected. It truly was a miraculous journey.

The Piano Accordion

A few weeks ago, I was asked by one of our Church Life Groups whether I was available to come and accompany their Christmas Carol evening. This was to take place outside their house, and was for everyone living in their area. I was very happy to oblige, and dug out my Christmas music and got practising.

I was given my first accordion in my early teens, I had shown some ability in playing the piano, and my father was eager that I would follow in a family tradition and play my instrument for the Open-air outreach of our church. David who was probably my closest friend also acquired an accordion and we set to work to master the instrument.

We managed to figure out the vast number of buttons on the left side, and soon could play a number of popular hymns with an acceptable degree of skill, including “And can it be,” and “Guide me O Thou great Jehovah." They then let us loose on the Sunday Night Hymn Singing in the square in Camborne, Cornwall. On Friday evenings in the summer (weather permitting), we plied our trade in such villages as Baripper, Brea and Penponds, to name just a few.

As my skill increased, my reputation spread, and when the CSSM (Children’s Special Service Mission) came for their annual Beach Mission to Perranporth, I was asked to provide the musical accompaniment for their Hymn Singing in the Park on Sunday nights. The first time Joyce saw me was in the role of accordionist on one of those occasions. It was not “love at first sight” so I have no recommendation to budding suitors to rush off and buy themselves an accordion!

Later on I became a regular member of the team on the Beach Mission run by the CSSM in Nefyn, North Wales. Once again the accordion came into its own as I accompanied the choruses at the daily service on the beach. I was a team member on this Beach Mission for a number of years and the ravages of the sand took its toll on my accordion.

By the way, Joyce and I met at Nefyn, I was attracted immediately, but it took me another couple of years before the feeling became mutual, and we fell in love and later married. The accordion was tucked away in our family home and came out at Christmas and on other rare occasions, but because of the amount of sand it was of limited value.

When our son Daniel went to college, he had a friend who was an accordion fanatic and I was persuaded to give it to this fellow student, and thought my accordion days were over. However, just a few years ago someone in Living Waters Church found out about my accordion prowess and asked me to accompany carols for a church outreach at a Victorian Fair. I hired an instrument, got practising and did my stuff.

This kindled a desire in me to again own an accordion, so I set about finding how much they cost. The prices had gone through the roof, new instruments were in the £1000’s and second hand ones several hundred pounds. I thought my aspiration would have to be abandoned, however, shortly after this we were visiting our family in Bulgaria and Joyce suggested I look for a second hand instrument. We found the accordion shop down some steps in the bowels of Plovdiv, and to my joy there was a beautiful Weltmeister Meteor, 80 bass, three voice accordion. The price was 140 leva which when translated into UK pounds became £42 – probably 10% of its true value.

So once again I have an accordion which sits beside the piano, gets played occasionally, has its public airing at Christmas and evokes many past memories.

Planting Seeds

Back in the spring, a free packet of tomato seeds arrived with a magazine through the post. In the past we have always bought tomato plants to grow in the greenhouse, but we love things that are free, so we planted the seeds. We grew them indoors on the window ledge in the kitchen. They did well, and we chose the six best plants, bought two growbags, some fertiliser and planted them out in the greenhouse. The are the “Gardener’s Delight” variety which are the small ones often used in salads.

They have done well – to start with I grew them carefully - by the book - pricked out the sideshoots and intended to finish them off after five or six trusses. However, we went away for a while and the person who kept up the watering did not know about all the finer points of tomato growing and the side shoots stared sprouting and they have just kept growing and growing. When I saw the growth, I kept up the feeding and the fruit has kept on coming. It is November and they are still laden with fruit – as soon as I see tomatoes beginning to ripen I pick them and place them on a tray in the kitchen. The harvest shows no sign of abating!

A couple of weeks ago we had a visit in the Church from Bengt Wedemalm who is from Sweden, but now lives in UK. We are always challenged and stirred by Bengt. He preached about faith and read the words of Jesus when he said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Luke 17:6 Faith is described as a mustard seed which is the smallest of seeds. It needs to be planted, and we were challenged about the need to keep planting seeds of faith into impossible situations. The promise is that the ‘mustard seed faith’ will produce miraculous results.

As I have just been in my greenhouse looking at the amazing crop of tomatoes, I am challenged to keep planting seeds of faith and looking for the resulting miracles.

Trekking Poles

We have just returned from a week walking in the mountains of the Mont Blanc region of France. We had been invited by Jo and Jackie Taylor, who are in-laws of our son Ben; they are also very good friends. As we were making preparations to go they asked us whether we had got our “Trekking Poles”, to which the answer was “No.” “You’ll need some good trekking poles if you are going to hike in the mountains of France,” they told us.

Now, that placed me into somewhat of a dilemma. A couple of years ago, while visiting my cousin in Switzerland, I had observed a group of walkers, with their trekking poles, all looking very serious, and according to me, somewhat comical. I thought, “What’s wrong with my legs, I don’t need those things!” But after my conversation with Jo, who told me they were essential equipment for our trip, I duly complied, and was delighted to find two sets of poles at a bargain price in T. K. Maxx.

On our first day, we left the chalet in Morzine and drove up for our first walk, fully equipped with walking boots and poles. After some instruction, we got them the right length and ready for our first climb. We had not walked very far before I was an instant convert. The poles were brilliant, they spread the load so that your legs do not have to do all the work. They help keep you moving forward with speed and purpose; and when you are descending they are great for keeping you steady and preventing slips and slides. However, last Sunday as we walked on the Mendip Hills with our poles, we had some very strange looks from our fellow walkers.

This has made me realise how independent and opinionated we can be. We see something that we do not comprehend and have made up our minds before we have really understood what it’s all about.

This is so true about the Christian faith – I have heard people say, “Being a Christian is just a prop for weak people.” That was my attitude to the trekking poles I saw in Switzerland. It was not until I had experience them that I realised they are so important.

So my spiritual “trekking poles” - give me someone to lean on who keeps me steady and takes the load - keep me going forward with pace and purpose - stop me from falling when negotiating difficult terrain.

It is amazing what lessons we can learn from a couple of sticks!

Inside your Head

During the six weeks of late July and August, we have been having a special series of teaching at Living Waters Church entitled "God in our Living." On July 26th, Daniel spoke about leisure and our need to have time for rest and reflection in our over busy lives. A week later Joyce spoke on Family Life, with the subtitle, "Behind Closed Doors" and took the five commands given to Timothy as her key points - "set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity." It was a very challenging message. Last week my theme was our Thought Life and I gave my message the title, " Inside your Head." It was a challenge to face up to what is going on in our heads and how we can as believers live with good thinking and renewed minds. Both messages that Joyce and I have given will be on our podcast soon.

After my message one of the folk said to me - can you give me a copy of all the scriptures you have used? I said yes - and here they are

“Inside your Head”

Key Scripture: Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

The Bad News

Fear – Job 3:25 What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.

Failure – Jeremiah 20:11 They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced; their dishonour will never be forgotten.

Sickness – Jeremiah 10:19 Woe to me because of my injury! My wound is incurable! Yet I said to myself, “This is my sickness, and I must endure it.”

Guilt – Psalm 38:4 My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden to heavy to bear.

Shame – Psalm 89:45 You have cut short the days of his youth; you have covered him with a mantle of shame.

Hopelessness – Acts 27:20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

Lost – Ephesians 2:12 Remember at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from the citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.

Unclean thoughts – Galatians 5:19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Criticism – Acts 11:2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticised him and said, You….

The Bridge – there is a way to go from the domination of negative and destructive thinking to new wholesome, positive thinking and living.

Take thoughts Captive – 2 Corinthians 10:5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that set itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take every though captive to make it obedient to Christ.

Forgive – Luke 6:37 Forgive, and you will be forgiven

Renew Your Mind – Romans 12:2 Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mould, but let God remould you from within…

Made New in Your Mind - Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitudes of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Speak in Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14:4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself.

The Good News we can think differently and become transformed people.

From Fear … to Peace – John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind.

From Failure … to Future – Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

From Sickness … to Health – Psalm 103:1-3 Praise the Lord, O my Soul ….who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

From No Hope … to Faith – Acts 27:25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me.

From Lost … to Saved – Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy.

From Unclean … to Pure – Philippians 4:8 Whatever is true, whatever in noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

From Criticism … to Blessing – Luke 6:28 & 35 Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you….love your enemies, do good to them…

Finally… 2 Peter 3:1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking….

Learning New Things

Last autumn I decided I must do something with all the home videos of the family that I had taken over the years. I had a drawer full of videotapes, which I could show to our children and their families when they were with us, but they could not enjoy them on their own, because I had them.

So having inherited some money from my mother, I decided to splash out and buy a new Apple Mac computer and the programmes necessary to edit my videos and burn them to DVD’s. So it was off to the Apple Store in Bristol to buy a 24” Imac computer and Final Cut programme. During the buying process, I discovered that Apple have a One to One training programme for all their customers, if you add £79 the purchase price of the computer. I discovered that this modest figure entitled me to one hour personal training each week for a year. It was not until a few weeks had passed that I realised that his training was vital, learning Final Cut was not easy and each week I attended my training lesson with a list of questions.

Through this I discovered something else – I was enjoying the challenge to acquire a new skill and to become proficient in film editing, but I was having to take up the role of being a student who was willing to be taught. Everything I learned I wrote down in my notebook, went home and practised, and then transferred my scribbles to a word document on the computer and am building my own manual of how to do all that I have learned.

Then we decided to develop our own website, and I found myself having to learn another set of skills. The website has been designed by Pete Worthington and his team at Worthers, and the email to their support line has been red hot as I have battled with all the challenges.

It is so easy to bury ones head in the sand and not learn anything new or acquire new skills. It is a humbling experience to have to keep asking others to help when in a jam. It means receiving correction and being able to admit failure.

This has set me thinking – Can I learn new things? Can I accept instruction? and Can I receive a rebuke?

Proverbs 9:8-9 says, “Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.”