Dear Friends,
As I write this month’s letter it is cold, pouring with rain and feeling more like late autumn than high summer! The headlines in the newspapers and on the TV news are all about the credit crunch, housing crisis, fuel and food costs, job losses and any other bit of doom laden news you can think of.
I am not sure whether it is the old puritan streak in us all or whether we are so totally media driven these days that make us wish the worst on ourselves. There is certainly more than a little part of ourselves that sees all the wonderful material things of life slipping through our fingers that makes panic set in and, like the poor little lemmings, we rush to jump over the crisis cliff along with everyone else.
Well I for one am not going to be a lemming. I am a happy little bunny and I’m determined to stay that way!! Why am I such a happy soul? Well I just have to look around myself to see what amazing things are about if only I open my eyes and heart to see them. For example have you recently just sat down and looked at a flower for a few minutes and simply marvelled at its beauty? Or taken time out of the rat race to sit and watch the birds on a bird feeder? They are an amazing and real reflection of God’s creative abilities. Occasionally I find myself just wondering if He looks at all He has made and thinks He got it all right except for mankind!
Well that’s not true of course. It is not due to a failing of God’s creative abilities that we find ourselves in the sort of mess the world faces at the moment. It is rather our use, or perhaps I should say misuse, of the freedom He gave us.
We perhaps need from time to time to do a bit of stocktaking on our lives and see where we stand. We do not have to follow the crowd, be wrapped up in the gloom of fuel prices and global warming, rushing around taking the children to just about every activity that we can find. We know from the gospel stories that Jesus regularly took himself off into the wilderness for a bit of “time out” and a chat with God to see how things were going. If it were good enough for him then it’s surely good enough for the likes of you and I.
Some of the newspapers headlines about recent meetings of clergy in General Synod and the Lambeth Conference would have you thinking that all Christians see nothing but doom and gloom. Don’t you believe it for one minute. That’s what the media would like you to think. If you want to see and join in with a bunch of happy Christian bunnies enjoying themselves then come along to our “Praise in the Park” service at 11am on Sunday the 17th August on the recreation ground. Bring the family and join us in thanking God for all that we take for granted.
I hope and pray that you and all those you love are “happy bunnies”. If you are not for any reason come and join us any Sunday or give me a ring so I can come and have a chat with you.
God bless you,
John Baxter
