The silliness of today is the fond memory of tomorrow.

“The game!” shouts Alice from the back of the car.

“Oh Alice, not again, I’ve lost again!” replied Molly. “Have you seen that there is someone at school with ‘the game’ printed on the back of their sweatshirt, so we are always losing?”

“Did you know that ‘the game’ is only over when the Queen says so?” asks Alice, “and that Chuck Norris has won it, so it’s no good playing it anyway, cos Chuck Norris has already won!”

“Chuck Norris, he’s such a loser” Molly adds to the conversation.

“Mum, who is Chuck Norris?” Alice asks.

Well, needless to say that I couldn’t answer that question for three good reasons. Firstly I was trying to concentrate on my driving and as much as I like to always give good solid answers to my children’s questions this was an inopportune moment; secondly, I couldn’t speak for laughing at the sheer randomness of the conversation that was going on and thirdly, and most importantly, I had absolutely no idea who Chuck Norris was!

These precious moments of total unpredictability, hold onto them, delight in them. When you find yourself crying with laughter alongside your children at either something they have said or done, remember to store it in your memory bank. The silliness of today is the fond memory of tomorrow. The gifts of being human, equal, real and vulnerable with your children are greater than anything you can purchase.”

These moments are what hold you up on the days when parental tedium takes over and on those days when you wonder how you ever thought that you would make even a ‘reasonable’ parent. Connect with your inner randomness, join in the silliness of the conversation, revel in the joy of childhood and if you don’t know who Chuck Norris is then there is always GOOGLE!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 (TNIV)

Let them cry!

“As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” Isaiah 66:13

Tears have many dimensions. There are tears of pain and suffering and tears of happiness and delight. There are the loud cries of a newborn signalling “I’m hungry” or “Hold me – I’m lonely.” A mother learns quickly to understand the meaning of her baby’s cry.

But it’s not just babies that cry. As they grow, of course, there will be many times when both boys and girls need to cry. Tears are a natural way of mending a broken heart and letting go of disappointment. Tears can be an overflowing of happiness and a running over of a heart full of pure joy. Although it might be disturbing to see your child cry, sometimes it is the only release that will calm them.

Even if your child’s tears make you feel helpless, please don’t ever try to stop them; this will make them feel ashamed and teach them to repress their emotions. If you want to do something when your child is crying, ask quietly, “Can I give you a hug?”. If they are willing, gently hold them and tell them it is ok to cry. Let them know that tears are a sign of a sensitive, loving person. Don’t judge or embarrass them. Let them cry until they have emptied themselves of their pain and hurt before you ask them what their tears were all about.

Don’t force them to talk, because sometimes they just don’t know for sure. Sometimes the tears themselves are the only expression needed. If you don’t interfere, tears will bring relief and soon they will feel energetic and happy again.

Let them cry...........and let yourself cry too! God, the great comforter is there for you.

Dreaming BIG dreams!

“Mummy, when a giant stands up does he hit his head on the sky?”

A friend told me the other day that her 5 year old son had asked her the above question. It makes you want to hug him and kiss him all over his cute little head.

I love listening to children playing their make believe games, stories of knights in shining armour, beautiful princesses, all of them running away from sharks, disaster averted and hearts won.

Listening to children sharing these wild and sometimes outrageous stories made me realise why it’s so easy for them to dream big dreams. They have the most amazing imaginations. It’s nothing for them to dream big dreams. God doesn’t have to work through all of the doubt and unbelief like He does with us grown-ups. As we get older, we lose much of that ability to imagine and dream. We become cynical, loaded down with the baggage of life.

We can learn from our children. If we dream without limitations like our children, God will be able to do big things with us. So go ahead. Let your mind become like a child, and dream.

And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

The Father's Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpnMNIQ4Mak

For many celebrating Fathers Day is a chance to thank their wonderful fathers for all the love, support and encouragement that they have contributed to their lives.

For others sadly that isn’t the case as they mourn the death of their father, relive the pain of an absent father, struggle with the heartache of an abusive father or for some live with the sorrow of never having known who their father was.

I have been really struck by the new Vodafone advert (see above, click link to watch).

A man is at a party, obviously celebrating his promotion at work, and he is just about to make a speech when his mobile rings. He answers it and on the other end is his daughter, in her car, crying she says to him,

“Dad, he’s left me”

He says “Where are you?”

She replies “well I’m parked, half way up the High Street, I couldn’t drive for crying. It’s just made me so angry. I tried to understand what he wanted. I just wanted us to be happy. Is that too much to ask?

“No” he answers.

As she talks he is fast approaching her in a taxi.

“and then he said it was over, like he didn’t even care.” she continues.

“Don’t worry I will be with you very soon” he assures her.

At that moment the taxi stops and he gets into her car. He smiles and hugs her.
“You weren’t doing anything were you?” she asks him as he holds her.

“No, I was just emptying the dishwasher” he says tenderly as he continues to hold her.

For me this is a wonderful example of a father’s love, unconditional, sacrificial love. It makes you feel both happy and sad at the same time. Sadly it’s the kind of love that some of us will never experience from our earthly fathers yet there is Good News for us all. It is the kind of love that we can all experience at all times from our Heavenly Father - Father God. Who says,

“When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you.” Psalm 34:18

“I love you with an everlasting love.” Jeremiah 31:3

“You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book.” Psalm 139:15-16

“And it is my desire to lavish my love on you, simply because you are my child and I am your Father.” 1 John 3:1

Please know and believe this.

For those of you looking forward to Sunday, know that God loves you with an everlasting love!

For those of you not looking forward to Sunday, know that God loves you with an everlasting love!

God’s love for everyone is sacrificial and unconditional, whether you know and love Him or not. There is nothing you could ever do that could make Him stop loving you! Nothing at all.

Allow Him to hold you and say “no, I was just emptying the dishwasher”.

If you would like to know more about this wonderful love that is available to all I would love to tell you all about it.

Happy Father’s Day to you all.

It was then that I carried you.....

After talking to many of you this week it seems that many of us are going through tough, troublesome and worrying times. God says:

" When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze." Isaiah 43:1,2

" I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart ! I have overcome the world ! " John 16:33

This is a poem that I have found strengthening in times of trouble or sadness:

One night I had a dream........

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord

and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.

For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,

one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,

I looked back at the footprints in the sand.

I noticed that many times along the path of my life,

there was only one set of footprints.

I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest

and saddest times in my life.

This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.

"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,

you would walk with me all the way,

but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life

there is only one set of footprints.

I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,

you should leave me."

The Lord replied,

"My precious, precious child,I love you and I would never, never leave you

during your times of trial and suffering.

When you saw only one set of footprints,

it was then that I carried you."

Leona Lewis sings this poem really well, here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d08X2lN669k&playnext_from=TL&videos=2-d1zNVcNGo

God bless you all this week, and may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Kitchen Dancing!

Kitchen dancing!

There is nothing like it, it’s silly, it’s fun, you don’t need to be talented just eager to have a good giggle. No music required either, you can go the whole hog and sing as well!

Steve and I have always ‘kitchen danced’ since before we had the girls. Neither of us are gifted dancers so the privacy of our own kitchen seemed a safe place to express our passion (and daftness) for all genres of dance, the hokey cokey, tango, breakdancing, waltz, tap, disco and we have even tried a bit of electric boogaloo!

The girls have joined in our fun, first of all by doing that wonderful thing where you stand on your Dads’ feet and are waltzed around by him, then teaching us the Bob the Builder Mambo No 5, to more recently introducing styles of their own.

Sometimes, when I am cooking dinner, Steve and I will have a snatched slow dance to cries of “get a room!” from our teenager girls. We all love it, the silliness and intimacy of it can break a tense moment in an instance. When there is a toddler tantrum or a teenage angst moment going on what better than a quick tango to calm the situation down!

Be silly folks, it’s fun. You have to embarrass your kids at some time, it’s in the parents rule book. Give it a go, or invent your own family silliness, your kids will love it and remember it always!

May God bless you in your silliness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D38s1PDZlx0

Here is a little something to get you started!

‘Look to today, because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision’

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (New Living Translation)

I started this week at a three day selection panel, in Staffordshire, to see whether the Church of England will have me as a vicar! It was the most intense thing I have ever done in my life, having to do presentations, written tests, discussions, three interviews and being watched all the time I was there. I am glad to say I survived and actually enjoyed the experience; the other 15 candidates were really good fun to be with and as it was not a competition the level of support for each other was fantastic. I am very proud that I did it. I now have to wait until 9th June to find out the result.

There was, however, one point on Tuesday afternoon where I thought I had blown it. The vocational assessor was a tough interviewer, he asked the same question over and over again and in the end I ran out of different ways to answer it. I came away very frustrated and have to admit to going to my room for a good old sob. I said to God ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore, it’s been interviews and tests for the last two years in this process and I have had enough!’

As I laid on my bed to continue my sob I had to move a book I had been reading earlier, it fell on the floor and opened up, as I looked at it on the floor this is what I read:

‘The key to freshness in our walk with God is not to dwell on either yesterday’s successes or yesterday’s failures. God has a truckload of new mercies awaiting our lives every day when we wake up. We must not be flushed with our successes or duped by our failures. Yesterday belongs with yesterday and today is a new day of amazing mercy, grace and blessing.’

That was me told!

I pulled myself together, eager to get on with the next interview and put that last one behind me. There was nothing I could do to change it and the next one was a fresh start as far as God was concerned.

If you are living in regret of something, please don’t. God’s compassion, love and mercy for you is fresh every moment of every day. Put it down, whatever it is, forgive yourself and anyone else that it may involve and move on. Forgiveness is a tricky, long and hard thing to do, but a worthwhile journey (please speak to me if you need help with it, I would love to help you and pray with you).

As my wise old nan used to say ‘Look to today, because yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow only a vision’.

Love and prayers with you all, Sal x x x x x