Harvest

It's been a while since the last blog. Away one weekend, and last week just no time.  It's been a bit quieter this week. The last couple of days have been a bit anxious as river levels have risen, but we seem to be safe so far and while more rain is forecast it seems more sporadic. The threatened hurricane on Monday has now been downgraded.

I have circulated this prayer. It seems to me that we don't always pray what is on our heart, so this is an encouragement for us all to do so. I believe God hears and answers, but of course the result is not guaranteed. So Paul, the chair of our Churches Together group, is one of several Christians involved in preparing a practical response to any further flooding. I don't believe in the 'power of prayer' but I do believe in the power of God!

Jesus, Lord of wind and rain,

Save our town from floods again.

Save us and help us Lord, we humbly pray. Amen.

Last Saturday, I met with my two 'rescuers' in Carlisle, and also spent some money on getting better equipment to protect me next time I go walking. It was good to meet them in normal circumstances. One of them is now officially retired from the Fire & Rescue service, having witnessed one horrific event too many, and struck down with PTSD. He is now qualifying as a hypnotherapist, and wants to use his skills to help others struggling with various kinds of phobias and compulsive behaviours. It was interesting talking to a couple of guys about male vulnerability.

Tomorrow is the last of our harvest services, where we have been encouraging our members to commit or recommit to giving, as part of their discipleship. It seems an appropriate time to do this, as we reflect on the bounty of God in creation. The particular theme I have in mind is that Christian giving is a kind of investment in God's future. We give, not because we expect some result or some pay-off, but because God will accept what we offer and use it for the purposes of his Kingdom, the results of which we may or may not see. This is counter-cultural, because we normally expect to see a successful out-turn for our investment. It is not usual to give without expectation. Nevertheless, we have made sure people do have the facts about the financial needs of our churches for the next 12 months.

Today, there was an open day at Broughton Church, to which we had invited local residents. The turnout wasn't great numerically, but there were some really good conversations. Slowly, I believe, we are reconnecting with the village.