Loving Everyone

Heard at the weekend that a friend has had a real rough time of late.

I felt a twinge of guilt, because quite often I give this friend a bit of a ribbing. It's all in jest you know, I don't mean it and yet I still do it.

Now maybe I have an excuse cos my mates are always taking the mickey outta me but it is still an excuse and really no need for it.

Someone in an unrelated thing said 'everything in moderation' which was a good reminder. If I'm gonna give people an occasional ribbing I need to make sure that I'm also doing my fair share of encouraging, loving, helping and making them smile...

Breakfast

I think I'm going to make pancakes for breakfast this morning.

Such behaviour only happens at weekends or when I'm on holiday.

Or Shrove Tuesday.

Which reminds me that right now I'm clearing out some of the junk in my flat, it's equal parts frustrating, exciting, painful and boring. But it is good. As are pancakes.

Icecream?

Why Are We So Selfish?

So I've been pondering for quite a while about this situation that has been going on for nearly a year now.

The problem I have is that I want to shout from the rooftops how out of order and horribly selfish someone has been. Thing is, if I out this person, if I right the wrongs as such(and there is no grey area that this thing is a matter of perception, the person has genuinely been wrong) then I'm potentially being selfish myself.

Tis a hard one. I'm reminded of that bloke from the bible; no not him, the other one, who said 'the things I want to do I don't do and the things I don't want to do I do'!

It would be so easy to say blah blah blah so and so blah blah blah and in this social media aware world everyone would hear but would they? And more importantly a great deal of grace has been apportioned to me, should I not extend some undeserved favour to others?

I'm still not entirely sure what the right thing to do is, more prayer and thought is needed...

To Trust Or Not To Trust

Over the last few weeks I have been struck by the thought about who and/or what we trust, and leading on from this how do we trust.

These thoughts triggered by the media, goings on in the political sphere and struggles in friend's lives.

At the end of the day we all trust, to varying degrees. We trust the bed we lie in won't break, that the roof over our head won't cave in, that the food from the supermarket won't kill us.

And yet in human interaction we can be very quick not to trust. Which is strange. We are more likely to trust that a stranger who we have never met won't do something negative towards than our closest friends, families and lovers? How did we get things so backwards?

Now I understand that it usually is the ones closest to us that hurt us the most BUT surely trust should be bigger than this.

The bible talks a lot about trust; often saying don't put your trust in people but in the Lord. However, leading on from this comes that those who call themselves follows of Christ should be trustworthy people, people of their word, people who allow the characteristics of Jesus to shine through, people who are changed from one degree of glory to another.

Which means that we should be able to trust people. And if there was a bit more trust, then our relationships would be that much better. And then our world might be a little bit better...

Jesus said that if someone asks something of you; you should give it to them, and then give them more. A point which we could take from this is that we should be willing. Willing to allows others in, to trust even if sometimes we get exploited.

some thoughts during this time of unrest and riots

Although I deplore the violence, I do get that sometimes people feel the only way they will get attention is through its use.

Wherever there is violence, opportunists will jump on board for their own selfish means.

Prayer and positive social action are both necessary and valuable responses in the face of such bad times. Wisdom to know how to use both of these is needed.

Make love not war; although as my wife amusingly pointed out, do we really want these people procreating?

So make tea and cake not war; the worst they'll get is fat!

So much respect for anyone who works in the public sector; and today it is for the police and fire services.

Tis quite hard to concentrate at work when all of 'this' is going on...