Ride to the Wall - 2015

Now in it's eighth year: Ride To The Wall will be holding an packed day of activities at the National Memorial Arboretum - there is definitely no other gathering like it and it's a chance to talk bike, pay your respects to those who have served and given their lives; to celebrate those who serve (and meet mates you were in with) and to wave the flag and wear the leathers!

So, if you can handle the traffic - there will be just a few motor bikes and other exotic things with wheels making their way there - Why not come along and have some fun and do remembrance in a different way from the norm?

See you there perhaps

For more details CLICK HERE

The FA Cup final 2015

Just saying :-)

The General Election: tears or cheers ...

Just taken a step back and have been thinking, and praying, for all who lost their seat in parliament today as the results of this stunning 'the people have spoken' moment starts to settle down in my brain.

It is a day which will result in cheers for some, ambivalence for others, and will bring a great deal of sadness to many besides. So, as Clegg, Miliband and Farage bow out of leading their parties and British politics enters a new, and interesting, phase please spare a moment to think of all:

All who have lost their seats

The three leaders who are now stepping down

The families, the researchers, secretarial, and other staff who might find their lives, their jobs and their livelihood, greatly affected by today's results.

Behind every rosette stand many more people than just a candidate.

And we need to pay tribute to all who stand, even the rampant lunatics, because this is one of the joys of democracy - people have the freedom to stand, to put their views and have the people decide.

It's something we need to treasure and take pride in.

Please pray for our government that it might act with humility and have justice and mercy evident in its dealings.


Pax

The people have spoken

Tamworth Hustings - 9 Days to go

And, according to the pundits, the battle is hotting up and the latest polls see it like this:

Conservatives 34%

Labour             33%

UKIP                13%

Lib Dems          9%

Green Party      5%

It's so close that people I've spoken for today were telling me that they didn't know who to vote for. The answer is simple:

Then candidate who answers the questions and says what you think is right!

Bt if you don't ask, you won't get to find out, so make sure you are in St Editha's, Tamworth on Thursday 30th @ 7.30pm and perhaps you'll hear an answer that convinces you (or turns you off).

And on a lighter note:

An MP dies and finds himself at the pearly gates before St Peter who tells him that the has two choices: Heaven or Hell (please note this is not a theologically accurate joke). 

To aid those who come to the gates unsure of where they ought to be, the powers that be have decided that the deceased can have five minutes viewing time in each of the two venues.

So our parliamentarian jumps in a lift and descends to take a look at hell. When the doors open he sees many of those he knows from Westminster and they are waving, cheering and in between sips of champagne and obviously enjoying the experience.

The the doors shut and he presses button for 'Heaven'. The doors open and before him is heaven and it's full of people singing Graham Kendrick songs, eating soggy biscuits and drinking weak tea (just like after the service on Sunday)! 

Before he has fully recovered from such awfulness the doors close and he's back in the foyer with St Peter who asks him, 'Which is it to be, heaven or Hell?'

Without a moments hesitation he chooses Hell and no sooner than the words leave his mouth he is taken back to the life and the button is again pressed. As the doors open he is met by something awful. The people there are screaming in pain as the flames lick their bodies and there's such an awful sound that it makes his blood run cold.

Then, seeing satan, the politician rushes over and asks him, "What's going on, it wasn't like this when I looked around earlier?'

'Ah yes,' says satan, 'But that was before you voted wasn't it?'

The Tamworth Hustings - 2015

The evening will have two sessions:

Session One
Will consist of questions sent in by members of the public. These will be given to the candidates before the evening so that we can have proper answers rather than leave them to give their party manifestos.

Session Two
Will feature questions taken from those who are present on the evening.

It is anticipated that the evening will end at around 9:30pm

To submit a question beforehand:

email: tamworth2015-hustings@yahoo.co.uk


Don't miss this opportunity to quiz the candidates in this vital piece of democracy in action.

40 Acts - Don't let possessions possess you: HOLD IT LIGHTLY

"But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:20-21 (NIV)

A few years ago, a friend of mine was getting new living room furniture. Honestly, his old furniture was in pretty good shape. I figured he could sell it for around $500. Then he did something I couldn’t wrap my mind around at the time. He gave it away!

You see, back then I held my hands tightly around my treasure ... you know, my money and my stuff. But that day God started a work in my heart by prying open my fist one finger at a time.

Fast forward a few years. My ten-year-old son Sutton and I were having dinner at our favourite restaurant when we overheard a man tell his server that he wasn’t having a good day. We both felt God calling us to buy his dinner to help lift his spirits.

Sutton tells the story in his own words:

After my dad paid for the man’s dinner and we left, it felt so great to bless someone like that! It turned out that the man was really sad because his wife had died from cancer. Our waitress told us that he comes in a lot and usually HE’S the one who buys dinner for other people! Wow!!

We wished we’d left a note or something, because blessings like that are a great way to tell people about Jesus. Then, we came up with a Generosity Now card that people could leave when they do an act of generosity. We call it ’carding’ someone.

If I had to choose my favourite, it would be the time we left a really big tip for our waitress and then watched through the window, while we got soaked in the rain! She saw the money and looked surprised and then read the Generosity Now card. We saw her face light up in a big smile and watched her run back into the kitchen to tell everyone about it. It was awesome!

We’ve learned that a tight fist keeps your treasure securely locked inside, but it also leaves no room for God’s abundance to squeeze through your fingers. We’ve realised that the ‘stuff’ we held dear as our treasure breaks or wears out, but the impact of smiles and tears of joy is infinitely more valuable.

Christ and Sutton Coffman

To see todays challenge and visit the page  - Click HERE

40 Acts - THANK YOU

"Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:19b-20 (NIV)

Who would have thought that two little words could have so much influence for change, hope and transformation! ‘Thank you’ are two of the most powerful words I know because I see them unlock hope and positivity even in the most tricky situations, two things our world very desperately needs.

For two years I tweeted everyday #thankyoutoday for something that day. I started doing it because life had become a bit tough and I was finding it harder to keep a generous spirit. I expected it to help me connect with God and be thankful even on difficult or mundane days. What I found was a habit of thankfulness that led to thinking of others more, being generous with my words and encouragement of others' creativity to see glimpses of hope every day.

We live in a world where it is all too easy to be overwhelmed by difficulties, our personal challenges or the news of a world that is broken and crying out for help. Thankfulness instils in us a gratitude for what we do have. The more we practise an attitude of gratitude, the more I think God inspires us to be generous and live for hope, choosing to defy the odds and believe that a better tomorrow is possible.

Today is not just another day; today is an opportunity to invest in thankfulness and be seekers of hope and positivity. With this in mind, let’s join together and…

Write an update on your social media saying #thankyoutoday for something. If you’re not on social media, why not write it on a post-it and stick it to your bathroom mirror?

If you want more of a challenge, why not also write to someone in authority in your local area and thank them for their hard work? You could write to your MP, local councillors, church leader. Even if you don’t like everything they do, let’s be generous with our thankfulness.

Dot Tyler

To look at today's page - Click HERE

40 Acts - FAIR TRADE

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8 (NIV)

It’s easy to think that Fairtrade is just a nice way to shop – a way to tick boxes and feel good. But for Christians it is about acting justly because for many farmers and artisans fair trade represents their only viable route out of poverty.

Having grown up in Kenya and visited India extensively, I’m no stranger to poverty. In fact, I’ve seen the effect it has on people all my life. It was after visiting the slums of Bombay in 1988 that I knew I had to do something to help and so I co-founded the Christmas Cracker project, which raised a lot of money for people with real needs.

From that time on, I’ve always been interested and active in the fight against poverty, and that continues today. I’m proud to be Chair of the Board at Traidcraft and it really has been an eye-opening experience.

Crucial to this is the fact that Fairtrade empowers people. It gives them access to a better wage so that all their hard work can finally start to pay off. On top of that, farmers receive a Fairtrade premium which they invest into community projects like building schools, accessing clean water and improving food security.

I’ve seen the difference that fair trade can make to families and communities in the developing world – it truly has the power to transform lives.

That’s why I urge you to choose Fairtrade today and fight poverty when you buy your clothes, your food or even your cleaning products and rubber gloves.

Ram Gidomal

To see today's Challenge and page - click HERE

40 Acts: Day Four Devise a SURPRISE

"Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength." 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 (NIV)

A friend’s spontaneous laughter or tears of joy can be so infectious and cathartic (isn’t it intriguing how fine the line between the two is?), the only surprise is that we don’t do more to provoke them.

When was the last time you found yourself so overwhelmed by a shared moment that neither of you could hold yourself back? Was it a joke perhaps? – I often find the more absurd the gag, the funnier and more cathartic it becomes (for me that’s the appeal of Monty Python). Or shared relief (as when the RAC man finally arrives after the car breaks down)? Or the realisation you have more in common than you dreamed possible? Such moments can brighten a day; but they might actually revolutionise a life.

You see, deliberately trying to surprise someone can actually be an act of great generosity. I’m not talking about sneaking up to make them jump out of their skin. I mean an act of grace. Grace is always unexpected, unearned, undeserved, unconditional, unquestioning, uninhibited. In short, it is always a surprise.

Which is why the Christian gospel is the world’s most monumental surprise. After all, who could possibly have predicted that God’s global salvage-plan would be achieved by a first-century northern carpenter wandering around Judaea in poverty, only to get executed as a Roman criminal? God is seriously in the surprise business. And no one gets close to him on that front. But for those who get it, God’s surprise results in shouts, laughter and tears of spontaneous joy. Any other grace-surprises are but a pale reflection.

So you want to become like God this Lent? Why not start by doing or saying something unexpected, unearned, undeserved, unconditional, unquestioning, uninhibited, for someone else?

Today. And every day.

Mark Meynell

Click here to see today's (and past days) challenges

40 Acts: Day 3 CLEAN

"The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it." Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

Near my house, at the end of one of the roughest roads in the area, is a piece of wasteland. No one really knows if it has ever been put to any good use; for as long as we can remember it has been an eyesore: the dumping ground for shopping trolleys and old refrigerators, and a place with long grass that the Council never cuts where shady characters can do their dealings.

It’s neither eyesore nor waste ground any more though – because a group of us decided to turn it into a community orchard. It is now a lovely area, with a winding path that meanders through it, a native hedgerow planted along its borders, and eighteen or so apple, pear and plum trees. We are hoping for our first picking this year.

In Genesis 2:15, God took the person he had created and put that person in the garden to tend and take care of it. It is a beautiful verse and describes our role in relation to the world around us. We are a part of it – we are in it – but we have a role to play in looking after the rest of what God has made. Sadly we often end up making the world messy and dirty, but there are always opportunities to make life cleaner.

Today’s act is about being generous to our environment and helping the world to be a beautiful place in which to live. It starts by going outside and noticing the world around you: the birds singing, the plants growing, the clouds moving across the sky … Where it ends is up to you!

1. Looking after the patch of land around where you live: pick up litter and plant a few bulbs or flowers that will attract bees and butterflies.

2. Joining a local conservation group and take part in what they are doing.

Ruth Valerio

You can view all of today's page here

40ACTS - Day 2 Chinwag

"You shall love the stranger." Deuteronomy 10:19 (NRSV)

I’m going to level with you. I love to talk. I love a good long chinwag over a cup of tea, talking about everything and anything that has happened in the history of humankind.

To the embarrassment of my children, I think nothing of striking up a conversation with the person behind me in the queue at the bank, or the parent sitting next to me at swimming lessons. I know most of the cashiers at my local supermarket by name.

I can’t help it; the words just fall out of my head. But I know I’m a little unusual. I know that others find talking harder; they prefer to keep themselves to themselves. But the thing is, I think words are a gift, a parcel, wrapped up in a smile, to someone who may not have spoken to anyone all day. What’s more, I think Jesus would say the same – he talked to people everywhere he went and never thought twice about introducing himself to a stranger.

We live in a world of increasing individualism; we’re a nation of independent entities quietly co-existing. Words create community. When we’ve taken the minutes it takes to say ‘Hi’ to our neighbours, we’ve begun to create connections.

Connections can grow and bring light and life. From hello, you can build up to knowing each other’s names and occupations and family status. Then before you know it, you’re inviting someone in for coffee, or offering to pick up a pint of milk for them whilst you’re at the shops. You’re feeding their goldfish whilst they go away for a weekend. You’re listening to their worries as they face the fear of cancer, and praying for them, sharing Jesus in the house next door.

It’s possible I talk too much, and there certainly isn’t airspace for everyone in the world to chatter as much as I do. But perhaps today you could choose to have a constructive chinwag and brighten up someone’s day.

Bekah Legg

You can view all of today's page here

"You sulking?"

The answer to this is a resounding 'No' but I have been subjecting myself to a bit of spiritual discipline and rather than come back and use this place to reflect, inform and challenge those with whom I engage have been reading more (Bible) and taking more (God and those I'm engaged with) and seeking more (everything) and this means less typing over a brew when home.

But as it's Lent I'm going to be typing more - because Lent is not a time for giving things up but a time for taking more stuff on - and if that taking more on means the usual stuff needs to be dropped then so be it. In fact this why I reckon we give things up for Lent - to enable us to take on more (and different) things.

And if you're wondering what the above is about - it's an answer to someone who thought the word 'Lent' was meaningless - (I'll give him the fuller explanation shortly) ;-)

So watch this space (and get ready respond)

Holocaust Memorial Day 2015: Primary School Resource

Holocaust memorial day 2015 (27th January) comes on the seventieth anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp - with this year's theme being:

As usual I have created some resources for use with my school assemblies and following last year's requests for me to share them (before the event), here's the first video:

I have made a silent section between the two clips so that I can add some brief notes and there's a period of ref;section at the end. This video is aimed at primary school (7-11) children.

I hope it is of some use.