Walking back home
Sore feet
Sore head
Sore heart
So tired
So sorry
So what

Walking back home
Still seeking
Still weeping
Still reaping
Say something
Say nothing
Say everything

Walking back home
No promises
No comprimises
November
To slow
To know
To say
Nothing

Instead
I’m Forgiven
Words fail me

This Season of Remembrance draws from all of us a sense admiration and gratitude but also a great sense of sadness and disappointment. Its overwhelming as we consider that so many innocent people are the causalities of war. Its not just the soldiers and the immediate civillians caught in the crossfire. Its not just the people who have lost limbs Its literally thousands upon thousands of people whose potential has been ruined or snuffed out and who live their lives a shadow of what they could or might have been.

STICKS AND STONES

Sticks and stones

And broken bones

And terrorists and mobile phones

And babies cry alone

Children play

And mothers pray

Their children will be suicide bombers

Its a strange world

We live in desperate times

The lines of right and wrong

Have all been redrawn

And suicide means – taking sides

For some its just another day

To hide To pretend

To say, “Its gonna be alright”

Knowing nothings right

And never will be

Till the guns stop

And soldiers go home

And poppies fall

In Albert Hall

And all around is silent

No one speaks a word.

I’ve been thinking about rivers recently,  well the truth is I think about the river everyday. My house looks out on the River Forth. The thing is the river never stays the same it changes everyday in life. I believe its such a great privilege to live so close to a river.  There are so many exciting analogies about tour spiritual life , to be learned from a river. Here’s a picture of the River  Tweed in full flow this afternoon, Monday 7th September.

A couple of Sundays ago i was preaching on the text from Psalm 46. ” There is a river that makes glad the city of God. What a wonderful thought. I wonder what the city of God “being glad” sounds like ? Its a wonderful image.

There is a River

I think this river is

Laughing with me

It too has a place in the city

God has given rivers a future

Now i know why it’s  singing in tune with the stones and the fish

Its presence lifts your spirit

It really knows how to move

It never stays still

A river is always going somewhere

Flowing

Faster

Slower

Deeper

Broader

I want to move with the river

I want to to race the river

I want to swim in the water

I want to catch a fish in the river

I want to flow like the river

Lord let the river of life flow through me

Today

Yesterday

And forever

Just back from Sanctuary First. the theme was all about moving from one space ro another . It was about helping us see that the way to  bring about change in the life of the church is to be prepared to make the appropriate sacrifice.

Although it was a Bank Holiday weekend we were delighted to have a number of friends join with us in the worship.  We were pomoting the C40 programme. this is our made up Discipleship programme. So if you want to join the Challenge text  Bible 40 to the following mobile number 80806. When you do this it will cost you £1.50 per week. I hope you join in he challenge and then return to tis blog with yourown questions and answers. So look out for the first C40 post tomorrow morning.

Recently I’ve been reflecting upon the whole notion of confidence.  We mere mortals need to be more humble as we pass through time into eternity. Especially those of the evangelical kind. Sometimes we can act as though we know everything, or we can give that impression. We leave no room for doubt or those who might want to question.

Dare I say it, I’m sure when growing up I was even part of that merry band. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we cannot speak of what we have come to understand with a certain amount of confidence. Peter  in his epistle tells us to be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have deep within us.

I’m simply saying we need to remember, we don’t see or understand the complete picture. We  only see through a glass darkly, as Paul says in Corinthians 13. Anyway here are some musing on the topic. While You read  have a listen to ” Gabrel’s Oboe, “Gabriel’s Oboe” from the Mission. I find this piece of music has a wonderful reassuring quality saying all will be well.

TIME ETERNITY ON THE TANNOY

To be standing in the midst of chaos

Like a traveller passing through the night

To feel there’ll be no tomorrow

If you don’t get on the next flight

An announcement on the tannoy

Tries to re-assure your mind

But the voice is so familiar

You  could be listening to yourself

To be walking in the midst of protest

Like a prophet fool of doubt

To know there will be a judgement

Even if the Jury’s out

Then you read a headline in the newspaper

Of what you dreamt the night before

And it sounded so familiar

Like the opening of a door

To be stumbling on the edge of freedom

Like a blind man gaining sight

To take one step forward

And begin dancing in the light

And a voice like a thousand rivers

Roars a welcome not yet heard

And etermity spins in silence

Leaving time to close the door

Great to read the posts on the blog about the various perceptions of Jesus. I must confess I didn’t relate the partying Jesus to the last supper. It seemed to me that Michele was talking about the general disposition of Jesus. I don’t recall her inferring that the passover encounter was a great party event. I thought she was talking about the many festivals that are reflected in Judaism and she was suggesting that we could learn from these festivals. As Easter approaches we could do well to begin to find ways in which we can celebrate our redemption, forgiveness and reconciliation to God. I think i am trying to encourage us all to view lent from the perspective of the resurrection.

It is great to have the comments and to hear the various perspectives on our Cafe cChurch. Talking about celebration and music and noise. The band “We See Lights” has been rehearing in the bedroom above my study all weekend. Its the price you pay for encouraging a son to be a musician. Actually I quite enjoyed it inspired me to write the sermon.

Tomorrow morning their off the Toronto to play in a Scottish Music Festival. So lets wish them a safe journey and much success want a listen click here Why not leave them a message on their wall.

Over the last few days I’ve been under a bit of pressure to get the CWW Report finished to be included in the Annual Reports that are given to the General Assembly. I ‘ve also been working with Rae to finish off the material for Sanctuary First. Anyway tonight’s service went really well. Here is a sample of one of the clips we used. Rae and Lauren did a great job working under pressure to produce this little film.

The theme tonight was all about laying down burdens and picking of the cross and following Jesus. I’m told 27 people signed up for the support text to help them follow Jesus. I tell you more about it tomorrow. Meanwhile I hope you enjoy this video from the service. Video

I find the whole idea of God engaging with our world so believeable yet unbelievable. But I the more you think about everything the more you find yourself asking the question. “So why am I here? What is my life all about? ” And you know something, there is a longing within us all to discover that kind of purpose.

I think it was Augustine that said “Credo ut inteligam” I believe in order to understand. This for me, is the secret to knowing the purpose of your life. Taking a step of faith. Beginning to believe that God is, rather than believing that God is not. Both position require you to take a stance of faith. One is absolutely exciting the other is depressing.

Anyway here is a meditation I wrote about 5 years ago for Christmas.  It was the forerunner to some of our “Word on the Street” meditations.video In this meditation we are invited to consider that God is closer to us all than we might think. Indeed his word his presence is all around us. In the words of Eugene Peterson, “God has indeed moved into our neighbourhood”

Here is the rub have we recognised and responsed to his presence? How we do that is uniquely different. Just as we’ve all been made uniquely different. I do think when you make the move of faith you begin to understand the purpose and you begin to see a pattern to your life.

Recently you may have picked up on the news that the Vatican have forgiven John Lennon for the comments he made as a young man about Jesus. He said that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. This was in the mid 60s and I remember as a teenager thinking :Aye your right” I never took it as a slight on Jesus I just took it that it was meant to be a point of information. Anyway John is rehabilitated. Not that I think he would lose any sleep over the issue. Lennon was an interesting man. A seeker, a thinker and a hater of all that was hypocritical. And no doubt like the rest of us a walking contradiction. One thing he was passionate about was world peace. Each Christmas his “War is over song always reminds me that there are wars happening everywhere but seldom reported. Have a look at this Christmas video and meditation.

Lets pray for all those who find themselves caught up in a war zone. Think of children and young mothers innocent but paying the consequences. Remember young soldiers who also find themselves the victims of war. Today I believe Alexander Lucas was buried, he was the 126th British soldier to be killed in the Afghanistan conflict.

So what an amazing idea that God in Jesus came into our world as the Prince of Peace. If only human kind would learn to talk out their differences rather that blow up their young men. Lennon may not have been a believer in the traditional sense but perhaps he believed more about Jesus than you “imagine” Jesus on the other hand might not believe in the some of the things that his more traditional followers promote. When Lennon invites us to “imagine there’s no religion too” You know what, I think Jesus would be into that as well. He never had many fans among the religous leaders of his day!

I must say that I was delighted with the First Minister’s performance on the BBC last night raising funds for the Children in Need  Appeal. Its thanks to a lot of high profile people and many ordinary folks all getting together that money can be raised that will make a difference in communities throughout the UK.

We have a lot for which I’d like to thank the BBC Children in Need Appeal. Last year they gave us an award of just under £90,000 to set up our Children and Family work. I’m delighted to say that this project which is now called “Bounce Higher” its beginning to take off. Yes it still has to bounce even higher, but we are seeing the benefits of the project in the lives of some of our children.

Our key worker Andrea Woollard is beginning to make some excellent contacts, grow volunteers and also set up a number of exciting groups. Recently Andrea has started to work with some of the teenagers in the Academy alongside our Youth Worker Lilias Snedden. She is engaging with a youth bereavement initiative, and also with a group to boost confidence and self esteem.

All this is beginning to pay off with the recent establishment of another new group in the church called the Morning Club. This gives young people an opportunity to pop in for breakfast and a chat before they go to school. We are also offering a pick up service for those kids that live just that bit beyond walking distance. Please remember this work in your prayers its always challenging to keep funding in place to ensure that the work continues