Looking back, Looking forwards

I'm not sure what the pschology of "the end of the year thing" is about, it's not logical!
After all, unlike our computers with their recycle bins, it's not possible to drag and drop everything from the past year into the recycle bin and be done with it .... or, Christologically speaking, is it?

But for the moment, the former mind set is working on me! and I can't wait for this year to end because it's been one of the worst for me! Oh I know there have been some good moments too, but predominantly the feeling is one of this being an "Annus Horriblus" to quote royalty.
The end of the year is a staging post of course. A moment to pause and reflect and we've managed to make a whole market out of the new resolution mind set. And the whole gym subscription community goes into overdrive in January to compensate for the over indulgences of the festive period.
But yes, I'm looking back, and I shall look back on my blogs too. On Dec 31st and Jan 1st, I shall want to be somewhere where there is some sea and the wind is howling and the sea thrashing about and then I shall quietly make some prayers of letting go, some confession and repentance and some covenant promises to God for the new year.
The covenant words of the Methodists have this wonderful depth that does not buy into prosperity or comfort, but simply asks God to travel with us:

"Put me to what you will; rank me with whom you will. Make me lower, make me higher. I freely and gladly yield all things to you...."

I shall also try to reflect and learn lessons from 2011 and try to change so that my character and lifestyle will be different. I can only change when I want to, and when God's Spirit assists me of course.

So, 2012 may, God willing bring a deeper, wiser, more graceful discipleship experience, through whatever may be thrown at us, and at me. The wisest comments made to me in 25 years of ministry and near to 30 years of Christian faith, have all been about grace and mercy: showing it, exercising it, receiving it.

As to the future, well all the signs are that we are in for a rough future as a country - ovbiously economically, but the out working of this is beginning now to be fully realised in all aspects of life and community. If ever people needed hope and faith and a God who can change their lives, this is the time. There is a season then, ahead of opportunity and mission for all who name Christ as Saviour and for the church that bears it's name.

The power of Hi-Viz

I've decided that we should all wear high-viz stuff ...maybe! When my wife Claire bought me this marvellous high viz orange cycling top earlier this year, I've pretty much worn it on every day. And it's great - really does the job. I cycle in it, jog in it and even use it as a casual weather jacket kind of thing - well you know what I mean, I hope. It's so good I've even been stopped in the street and asked where someone might buy one...I don't know, try going shopping!
But the thing I've noticed is that high viz is the new official status. I have observed that people seem to momentarily stop and think who is this? It seems I can be a council employee, a refuse collecting technician, a security guard, a police man; the possibilities are endless, and what strikes me is that in the mindset of our world today, high viz is the new kind of attention status. And when you think about it, thats what the naff world of Health and Safety has done to us. It seems that whatever you do these days that might be the slightest prone to any kind of accident, however small, requires a high viz vest. So you now see everyone and anyone wondering around our streets with high viz waistcoats. The world has gone high viz mad. The secret is that you can pull off miracles in the new high viz world - add a hard hat and you become some kind of surveyor or technical person. Add a clip board and you become someone official who is going to take notes and that means consequences. Add a hair dryer and you become someone who is operating a speed camera and thats bad news. Add a slow arrogant official PC plod kind of walk and flip, you're in real trouble! It seems that with high viz we can pull off anything that we want to send someone into a different kind of subserviant set of responses.
I'm still reflecting what this all means for a Christian Minister - might we have high viz clerical shirts and collars. Perhaps dog collars with built in red or amber directional lights saying "slow" or "pull over" of maybe a full liturgical data bank of flashing words that says "Lord in your mercy, hear our prayers!"

On a different tack, I went to my first proper official School Governors meeting last night and what caught my eye was something in the standing rules of the governing body, which I thought was rather good. There is a line that says, "We will operate in a friendly and informal manner commensurate with effective decision making...." And I like it! And I thought to myself that we would be well placed to have in our Baptist Church constitutions a line that says this exact same sentiment! Here is one example where our society is ahead of the church. Why? Do we in church assume that everyone will know how to act and behave and speak at meetings, if not do we teach it, and if not, why not? Because on this alone, the church of Christ needs to take a big lesson from the non-churched world on how it should act and behave. This gets my vote for the new latest model trust deed of the Baptist Union!