Arty Crafty

This week Church is playing host to an Art Exhibition, children and young people who live in Rowley were invited to draw, paint, sculpt anything to do with the people, wildlife, buildings, well anything Rowley the age groups begin with 5. Impressive that is one word heard quite a lot today.

The Dean of Birmingham Cathedral came along to open and judge today, and on the top of our windy hill, the winner from the youngest group was chosen as overall winner. Why? She reckons he was trying to show just how windy it is on the top of this hill.

The Dean’s thoughts in the visitors book are shown in the photo posted with the Gold Rosette winner. The pictures are on display until Friday and we are looking forward to children and parents over the next few days, it is good to make new friends.

The floral arrangement standing in the entrance porch is Carole’s handiwork, Carole is Secretary to the Church Council and just, a little older but she loves to create lovely things.

“He paints the way side flower, he lights the evening star” these words from the favourite Harvest Hymn say something about God and his children, we love to paint the wayside flower, and if only it were possible, light the evening star too. Human beings reflect the joy of the Creator in their own creativity – my favourite writers on WordPress – are like the one, described in the Psalm, they have the tongue of a ready writer.

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Good Morning God

One of my happier tasks is to compile and edit the Church Magazine. I like to encourage every one to contribute something, this prayer was given to me, hand written on a piece of paper carefully laid up in a friends bible, treasured in memory of Mr Alfred Mole a local Methodist preacher of many years. The words are his, the prayer he prayed at the start of each day.

Good Morning God
You are ushering in another day
Untouched and freshly new,
So here I am asking you, God,
If you will please renew me too.
Please forgive the many errors
That I made yesterday
And let me try again, dear God,
To walk closer in thy way…
But Father I am well aware
I can’t make it on my own,
So please, take my hand and hold it tight,
For I can’t walk alone

Nellie, who let me borrow the paper, tells me that right up to the moment when The Lord called him home, Alfred was still gathering folk in his Nursing Home around for a ‘word in prayer’ … and despite, the cynical times in which we live they were happy to do that. Such a faith as this speaks for itself.

Writing this the day after Jim’s funeral attended by 200 folk from every little chapel on our door step, I reflect that, none if us can make it on our own, we all need our Father to take our hand and hold it tight, and whatever failings of yesterday may have been, to look up, welcome him as we would sunshine after rain, and say

Good Morning God.

Everything Cries Glory

Tomorrow is Jim’s funeral. Jim was 76 and sadly has suffered with Parkinson’s’ Disease during his last few years. Jim was well liked, renowned for his witty spider poems especially the one about Dirty Harry who reputedly lives in the North Aisle if church, I say reputedly because in the many, solitary hours I’ve spent in church I have never been bothered once by Dirty Harry, who from time to time is credited with many dastardly acts, notably playing really loud notes, uninvited, on the organ, during the really quiet parts of the sermon. I wonder if Jim would have written a poem for our new organist and Music Director who takes up her post in two weeks time. Perhaps he would, Jim was always a gentle man with ladies. I found a copy of an old magazine, and you know what I got mentioned in a poem, as the one who never made a fuss in a crisis, apparently I just sang a little song.

And did I?

Yes. And I still do, but rarely in an audible voice these days, my songs seem to be heart songs unvoiced but always there. What kind of voice have I got? I’m a soprano, once quite happy to sing in choirs but now happy to sing my quiet songs. I have been reflecting on my little songs of yesteryear. It has been an eventful week since Jim died, someone had to oversee the earthy business of finding a space in the churchyard, someone has to sweep up the fallen leaves, someone has to be there for other bereaved families, making sure the church is warm, we have had other funerals to deal with this week, and someone has done these things gladly, singing a little song. I rather think it would amuse Jim to listen in on my little quiet song, but am not sure how he would write about it in a poem.

You see, my little song has a big theme. The words are coloured, red and gold, and I read and hear the music in the carpets of leaves swept up, in the gold embroidered words on the altar frontals, in the children’s smiles as they join in with the sweeping and collecting,

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Holy, Holy, Holy, is The Lord,
Who was, and is, and is to come.

Jim wasn’t always a member of this church, he was a lifelong Christian from a small church down the road, in what used to be known as the Village, they sing different hymns there, do things differently, yet, faith is the same, we serve the same Lord, read the same bible we share the same hope and love is the same colour thread wherever you find it woven into the fabric of this life. I am glad to have known Jim, I am sad that he has died, sad for his beloved wife but I am glad that in this life we both learned the words which angels sing; not everyone sings this new song, not everyone will ever want to learn it; but those who know and serve the Risen Saviour look at windy churchyards with different eyes, they see what was, and is, and is to come, they know that there are no little, sad songs in heaven, there

All cry glory!

Books and Doodles

I don’t seem to be posting much lately, but I am still reading your posts and learning, always learning. My headmistress said, as I was about to leave school which I loved, for the world of work that I would never stop learning. Some people, she told me had a passion for just learning for the love of it, taking delight in accumulating knowledge of all sorts. I suppose that is true of me. The room in which I was born was full of books, come to think of it. In those days, accommodation was hard to find, my parents first home was in my Grandfathers house, and what had once been the Sunday Best Room answered for many purposes.

The books?

Well, they were actually a library of hard backs, classical literature, Astronomy, Philosophy. Psychology. Atlases, Dictionaries, you name it, they were all there, together with the collections of stories about girls at boarding schools much loved by my Mum as a girl. Originally they had belonged to a wealthy local family and passed on to Mum who had lost her mother at the age of eleven.

Books, Mum said were good friends, “Open a book and you never know where you will find yourself”

She was right. And for her those books filled many of otherwise lonely hours.

Regretfully, time for reading is a little restricted these days, but I feel enriched, by those books which have befriended me on my life’s journey and instructed me in so many things, cooking, science. Art, music .. People, right and wrong… You probably have your own list.

My good friends Jane and Vera love to knit, Jane creates lovely garments for orphans all over the world, Vera made lots of small knitted bears for last years Christmas Fayre, because if I began knitting nowadays I would never get around to finishing it I simply don’t begin any. I do sometimes pick up a pencil and have quick doodle, so I thought my five minute doodle of Vera’s knitted bear might amuse you but art critics note I shall take your criticism about as seriously as I took the doodle!

My favourite book?

A copy sits on the sofa, and it’s pages are turned frequently, like a good friend it can be depended on for wisdom and direction in all of life’s seasons, twists and challenges, it is a wise, dependable friend, the Word of God, and I do take it seriously, far more seriously than my artwork.

Whatever you read this weekend enjoy it, but consider opening the Bible, the book that is rightly called, “The Book if Books.”

Proverbs 4:23

I am pleased to reblog this lovely picture with its gentle encouragement to guard the thoughts of our heart, our heart is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the one who heeds this message is the one who allows the loveliness of God to shine out, the loveliest of flowers grow in well cultivated soil and this is a well kept heart. I always find Wendy’s pictures inspirational, her writing too!

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Sunday. A Kind Day

Psalm 133 (NLT)

How wonderful and pleasant it is
When brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
That was poured upon Aaron’s head,
That ran down his beard
And onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
That falls on the mountains of Zion,
And there the LORD has pronounced his blessing,
Even life everlasting.

I like how this translation of the scriptures uses harmony to translate the Hebrew word, other versions use ‘unity’ but there is something about harmony … Perhaps I am thinking of the rainbow where the colours of the spectrum evoke feelings of peace, there is no clashing in the rainbow band, no colour claims dominance .. There is no competition .. If one colour decided to go solo, then the rainbow would not be the rainbow.

I like the generosity this psalm brings to mind. The precious oil is not sprinkled on, a drop here and a drop there, but is poured out like a river, a deluge of grace.

‘He anoints my head with oil, my cup runneth over.’

Sunday is a day that overflows with kindness, kind words spoken, smiles exchanged, and brothers and sisters coming together to praise God in harmony, as we remember Jesus who was anointed with the Oil of Gladness for us, and was himself poured out, like fragrant oil on us …. not just on me … But on the whole rainbow.

Should one of the rainbow colours go missing?
Well, surely the good Shepherd would go looking for it?

With A Grateful Heart

All that I am, all that I do,
All that I’ll ever have, I offer now to you.
Take and sanctify these gifts
For your honour, Lord:
Knowing that I love and serve you
Is enough reward,
All that I am, all that I do,
All that I’ll ever have I offer now to you

(Sebastian Temple b. 1928)

Remember that there must be someone to cook the meals and count yourselves happy in being able to serve like Martha,

(St Teresa of Avila)

Today we celebrated Harvest Festival and it seems appropriate to remind myself that all that I am and all that I have, I have as the gift of God and I do count myself happy to be able to serve like Martha.