Did you know that I am an integral part of your year? Every year I am there staring out at you from your calendar. You can never escape me because my presence is always there.
Now you are wondering two things. One that I am obviously barking mad and you have no idea what I am talking about or you may now be intrigued to find out what on earth I might mean. Either way you will not be able to resist reading on. However I have to warn you that you may be disappointed by what you are about to read but most, I hope, will at least go hmmm!
You see if you look at the first letters of the months from July to November it may start to dawn on you. Ahhh! There you have it, the penny has dropped. It doesn’t really mean a great deal to you but to me it is very important. And that’s the thing, there are always issues that are more important to some than to others. For example I only care about the result of a Man Utd match if they lose, if they win I couldn’t care less (I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to all Man Utd fans, not for belittling their team but because I feel great sympathy for them – HE! HE!).
The ecological and economic times we live in vex and cause anxiety for many. The current fear of the Swine Flu pandemic will cause others to feel worried and confused. The fear of terrorism, and the many lives lost in the fight against it, makes many feel helpless and stressed. But that is not what many of us really feel is important. Just like my strange fact above, it concerns me, and I have to be honest I like things about me and will worry about things that effect me, directly.
This is all very much part of life as a human being, but the Bible says something quite different about being happy and contented.
Yes it says that God values the individual and is still interested in our lives and bringing us into a relationship with him, but more than that it tells us about how we can find peace and life at its fullest. Not through worry and anxiety about ourselves and what directly effects us, that way comes more stress and more fear.
No, it says that if we rely on a God who can provide all we need, no matter what happens to us, then we can start to relax and think about others instead, that way there really is peace and life at its fullest. (Matthew 6:25-34 is a well known verse but it is not the only one – so keep looking!).
Love Jason – The Man in the Manse
Church News
We had the church full of folk at our Family Beetle evening in June, enjoyed by everyone, as was the supper provided for us.
There was no service on July 12th in our church as we joined St Paul’s on the Common for the Morris service, which set our feet tapping! We were happy to let some of the dancers stay on our premises for the weekend.
Our Barbeque after the morning family service on July 26th was held in the Manse garden and consumed with relish – and it stayed dry!
At the time of writing we are looking forward to our Garden Party and Flower Festival, both held in August, so they will be reported in the next issue.
Please see publicity elsewhere in Chip News for our Family Quiz evening on September 19th at 6.30pm – we’ll be pleased to see you there.
Our Harvest Thanksgiving on September 20th will be a family service, so we invite you to bring the whole family to enjoy the service and bring & share lunch afterwards.
Anyone is welcome to join us at our monthly lunch, usually held on the second Saturday. Just contact Brenda on 01923 269574.
As you will see in the diary, our Little Angels Mums & Toddlers group resumes this month. So contact Claire Gain on 01923 270664 if you want to know more.