Focus on the things you can control...

I've got a copy of the Serenity Prayer on my wall at home. It says:

God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
The courage to change the things that I can;
And the wisdom to know the difference.

The plaque has been on the wall for a while. However, the world has changed significantly since it was put up there. 

When I glance up at it, I smile. It is so apt at the moment. Because things are changing so quickly, and (like many) I simply can't keep up with the changes. Even just a couple of years ago, I could have told you what was happening in my life, what was going to happen. Not so now. There are so many things that I've given up, or simply don't do now. There is such uncertainty. So many things planned, then cancelled or rearranged.

Is this an effect of the pandemic? Of changes in society? Of other people's decisions affecting my life? Of my ever-advancing years?

I really don't know if it's just one thing - it's a combination of things. However, I know I can't go back to the way things used to me. Things have moved on.

So - I need to take it slow, and focus on the things where I can take control. New challenges, new opportunities. 

And I need to stop worrying about the rest. All the things I used to do. The many years of service that I completed, and have now had to let go. I don't mourn their passing any more. I celebrate the fact that I did these things, and made a difference.

And I know there will be new things to do, just around the corner ...

"I keep being asked when we can go 'back to normal' or 'like it was before'. My personal thoughts: We've added a new disease to our population, more infectious and more severe than flu. The world pre-2020 no longer exists - we may want it to, but it just doesn't." - Christina Pagel, Professor of Operational Research and a member of the UK Government's SAGE Committee, in a Twitter quote... 

"Th' whole worl's in a terrible state o' chassis" – Captain Boyle, Act III, Juno and the Paycock (Sean O'Casey)

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. - Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV UK)

Remember This...

Saturday Catch-Up - 16th February 2019

What a difference a week can make!

Doug Putman, the head of Canada’s Sunrise Records, has successfully rescued 100 HMV stores from administration, including (thankfully!) my local branch. Hooray! This teaches me that, although things appeared pretty bleak last week, you should never give up hope. You don't know the whole picture... what is happening behind the scenes; what might happen tomorrow. 

In 2017, Sunrise Records took over 70 Canadian HMV stores after that branch of the chain collapsed. They seem to be doing pretty much the same here in the UK.

Putman says that HMV’s problems were due to them being unable to react quickly enough to the decline of CD and DVD sales. Many people have changed to downloading films and music online, but some of us still prefer to browse the shops for that special, rare find for our collection... and were quite vocal about it. And it seems that this public outcry is having an effect. Which teaches me that the voice of the public can influence decisions made by people in authority...

“Where certain stores have closed, our public have really rallied around and I credit that with some of the landlords coming back to us.” Putman said, in a recent article in The Guardian. “They can see how much support we are getting..."

"We are getting away from the corporate mentality where every store is set up the same – we have to move away from that and let each store have its own personality... I want to unlock the passion and creativity.”

Hmmm - individuality. Passion and creativity. That confirms to me something we all need in our lives. :)

Saturday Catch-Up - 9th February 2019

No catch up from last week (everything was delayed by the snow!), so I'm trying to comment on the last fortnight now...

• Maplins
• Toys 'R' Us UK
• ... and now HMV Shop

All stores where I used to frequently shop. Regular trips to each store, just to see what was on offer. Loyalty cards, the works. And these are all stores that I can't use any more because the companies have fallen into administration. They've essentially gone bust...

(sigh)

Things aren't the same. They don't feel the same. However, I know that I can't turn the clock back. I mourn, and then I move on.

So, forward we go. Into an increasingly uncertain future. One where the landscape is changing day by day, month by month. Each news bulletin brings a new complication, a new twist to the story. I can't begin to tell you how it's going to end.

Lord,
I don't know what the future holds, but I know only You hold the future. Bring me to a better tomorrow. Help me and my family. Make the days of my life and the life in my days overflow with love, kindness, gratitude, and appreciation.
Amen

So, What Happens Now?

So what happens now?
(Another suitcase in another hall)
So what happens now?
(Take your picture off another wall)
Where am I going to?
(You'll get by, you always have before)
Where am I going to?
(lyrics from "Another Suitcase In Another Hall", written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber)

This track from the classic musical Evita features a character who wonders about her uncertain future, eventually convincing herself - or at least telling herself - that she will be fine. The song was first released as a single by Barbara Dickson, a singer who is a particular favourite of mine.

I think that we all go through times of uncertainty, don't we? Times when we sit down and wonder, "so, what happens now?" More often than not, we don't get a suitable answer... only loads more questions...

All we can do is live one day at a time.

I can try and plan for tomorrow, however I can't actually live it out until that day arrives. No one can, I remember that John Lennon once wrote, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
Matthew 6:34 (MSG).

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7 (ESV)

Days Of Future Past

On Saturday, as an early birthday treat, I got to see "X-Men: Days of Future Past". Terrific film - and, as you might expect, it's got me thinking...

The plot of the film was inspired by the 1981 Uncanny X-Men storyline "Days of Future Past" by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, which I clearly remember reading when it first came out!

I can't say I ever thought I would be sitting watching a big screen film version of that particular X-Men story with my wife and two children 33 years later. At the time the comic was first published this cinema wasn't even built ... at that time the site was quite an unremarkable chalk quarry. Conclusion: Life doesn't work out the way you think it will.

Winston Churchill once said, "The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see". Another quotation states "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (George Santayana). However, I sometimes find that reviewing the past can be terribly difficult. Memories are funny things. I can struggle recalling the fine details about something that happened just last week. And yet, a scrap of paper from 30 years ago, a song, even a smell, can instantly take you back years in the past; trigger emotions that you thought were long dead and buried. I've been time-travelling a little bit myself lately (as I blogged earlier). And it's revealed to me how much has changed... 

As a science fiction fan, I am frequently introduced to another author's vision of the future. Some futures sound very appealing; others, less so. But a dystopian future isn't inevitable! And that goes for our individual futures, too....

We often think we cannot do anything in the present to change our current circumstances. On the contrary. The future is unwritten - thus, you can change it. Or work to improve the future of others. Even without a time machine (or whatever power Kitty was using in the X-Men movie)...

It all depends on the present. On what you do to change things now. On who you want to serve...

James 4:13-16 (ESV)
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

What I Fear Most...

My Best Laid Plans

"But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!"

Words there from Scottish writer Robert Burns, taken from his poem 'To A Mouse'. Wise words indeed, despite the dialect. For it seems that, no matter how much I strive to develop a strategy, rehearse a prepared script or otherwise map things out beforehand, my 'best laid plans' do very often go awry...

Looking back over a busy February, I can see that things haven't gone at all to plan. Nothing particularly disastrous has happened, however I don't think anything has gone without a hitch. In many cases I've needed to go the extra mile just to see 'business as usual' go through. 

February 2014 has seen plans cancelled, postponed or get completely rearranged due to: bad weather, people not turning up when they should be there, a favour to a friend, growing pressures from family, people suddenly turning up when they said they wouldn't be there (!), a couple of mystery reasons (nothing was ever explained!), health issues, money issues, etc, etc. It's been exhausting - but it's now a new month. I survived - a little bruised and battered, a little poorer...

I am so glad that there is one sure constant in my daily walk on this Earth. One reliable, ever-present friend... and, as others keep reminding me, He has a plan for my life.

Many have used a particular promise, as shown in Jeremiah 29:11, as a source of comfort to them in a chaotic and unpredictable world. The ESV translation says:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

However, there is more to this verse than meets the eye. I've read some of the commentaries. Perhaps you should, too. It's well worth having a look at this reading in context; study it; mull on it. There's more to it than that...

You think He is going to pull you out of a bad situation, give you an idyllic 'happy ending'? Maybe - but not in the short-term. It could take years...

And it's not a one-way street. I'm conscious that there needs to be a degree of commitment on my side. I am aware that God wants me in this for the long haul, not simply for a quick win.

I reflect on the future. Still unspoilt, pristine. Still unwritten. And I know there is still work that needs to be done; something else that He needs me to do. I just don't know what it is yet...

I do often sit and wonder what God has in mind for the rest of my life. What great tasks are still ahead of me. Whatever His bigger plan is, I still cannot see. 

I push the doors that I think God wants me to; some remain firmly shut. Others open just a little, but there is often nothing there for me; I am disappointed. Wherever He is leading me, I fail to fully comprehend. It's clearly one of those things that will take time to unfold. 

However, I will trust Him. I need to trust Him.

House Of Cards

Why is it that you can identify a problem, get a particular idea in your head as to how to solve it, spend an hour or two working out an entire plan of action, get everyone to agree - and when you start applying it, it simply doesn't work; the plan starts to fall down like a house of cards!

What went wrong? Were there simply too many chances for things to go awry? Did the individuals concerned really commit to the plan? Should there have been more planning? Was this the right way to go about it?

Or should we have done something else in the first place?

Oh well. Back to square one.

James 4:13-16 (NIV)
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

Not Alone

I blogged on Valentine's Day about God's persistent but loving pursuit of each and every one of us, determined to seek us out and bring us back into His fold. But what happens next?

Once we are his, He simply doesn't leave us on our own. He's in there with us, all the way. Helping us deal with our problems, picking us back up when we louse up, dusting us off and setting us back on our feet again.

I can testify to this. Even looking back over the past few years of this blog, I can see many instances of God's leading me through times of trial and uncertainty, the fear of the unknown. I still struggle, but know God hasn't finished working in my life yet.

The reason I've spent some time looking back was because it was our own young people who led the meetings at our Corps today. Including my own son. They did a great job! These youngsters have just started on their Christian path, and face the same issues that I face, but I know they are not alone. Because I'm not alone.

Praying for them all today.

 Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Getting To Know The Lay Of The Land

"The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there." L P Hartley (1895-1972)

"I offer a toast. The undiscovered country...the future." Line spoken by Chancellor Gorkon in 'Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country' (but referencing Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1)

Picture the scene. You arrive in a strange town, perhaps a foreign country, never have been there before. It takes you a while to acclimatise yourself. To get to know where the shops are, the best place to get a bite to eat, and so on. To get to know the lay of the land. The customs, even the language used, may be totally different.

We're now at the end of the second week of January, and I think I've got a fair idea what challenges are ahead of me in 2012. Oh, definitely not the same as 2011! It's awesome to see what has changed, how things are different since this time last year, my head is reeling. Including how much my attitude has changed...

So, my sleeves are rolled up. I'm a little taken aback by the speed this has happened but am eager to embrace the challenge. I'm ready for new things.

Philippians 3:12-14 (NIV)
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

Looking Forward

Tomorrow...

James 4:13-15 (NIV)
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that."

I've been reflecting on some of the plans I've made throughout the last few years. Many of these plans simply didn't work out, despite the fact that I was planning with the best of intentions. Reality didn't fit in with my vision of the future. It just wasn't to be.

James reminds us that we are not in charge of our future. God is. He has a clearer vision than I do as to what is best for my family; a perfect vision. I have to accept that, trusting in my Lord to lead all of us through tough and challenging experiences and into an unknown future. Leading me, and my family, one step at a time.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Future Plans

"Mary, I know what I'm going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that. I'm going to leave this little town far behind, and I'm going to see the world. Italy, Greece, the Parthenon, the Coliseum. Then I'm coming back here, and I'll go to college and see what they know, and then I'm going to build things. I'm going to build air fields. I'm going to build skyscrapers a hundred stories high. I'm going to build bridges a mile long." - George Bailey, in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."

As a Christian, I believe God has a particular plan for each of our lives. He equips you, prepares you and sends you out. Each plan is unique to each of us, to our gifts and personality types. If you aren't especially aware of any leading from Him on this subject, I would recommend you to follow up on it. Enter a dialogue with the Almighty; get to know what His plan is, grasp it firmly and pursue it. It's likely to be the most exciting thing you can do in the world. My wife and I went on a Design For Life weekend some time ago, and I'm still working out what was revealed to me at that weekend.

However, what if God's plan for your life is not to travel the world; to build the airfields, the skyscrapers. That's George's dream. Each of us may plan to do great things. It's like wanting to win the big talent show; to secure that high-paying job; to retire to that little cottage by the sea. Such dreams are common to many.

However, God may be calling you to ministry in a faraway land, to make a stand and really make a mark on this world. To go out and make a difference. If so, good for you. Go for it. God's plan for your life will be the greatest adventure...

But, what if God just wants you to do His will - right here. To boldly stay put (to coin a phrase)? Perhaps He's not calling you to change the whole world, but to be salt and light just where you are at the moment. Just to change your small town. Perhaps that isn't quite the adventure you were thinking of...

Would you say yes - even if perhaps it's the last thing that you would want to do?

Would you?

FlashForward - part two

Do you remember my blog entry of the 30th September last year? It was about a new SF-based TV show called "FlashForward". It told the story of a mysterious event causing nearly everyone on the planet to simultaneously black out for 137 seconds, during which people see what appear to be visions of their lives approximately six months in the future — a global “flashforward”. Everyone got to see what they would be doing on 29th April 2010. Which is today!

In the 'real world', we don't have the advantage of such hindsight, and therefore many unexpected things have happened in everyone's lives since September 2009. Examples include the 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti this past January; the air traffic disruption from volcanic ash from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland in April! To a lesser extent, even 'FlashForward' itself was affected - in December 2009, ABC decided to put the show on hold for a month or two, reportedly to allow the network to air the 2010 Winter Olympics without further interruption. Life can be so unpredictable...

The show has, however, explored a variety of issues concerning the future, and in particular the concepts of fate and destiny. It's revealed that the 'future' that the characters saw presented to them as a 'fait accompli' can in fact be changed.

It's the same with us. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It's up to each to us to decide how to live each day. We can each decide what we do - where we go - who we will serve...

Bearing the Pain

Isaiah 53:7 (New International Version)
He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

During the past week I have been reflecting (as many others will have) on the suffering and death of Jesus. I have also subsequently been rejoicing in His resurrection.

An email I received this morning set me off down a different train of thought. On His reappearance, it was never recorded that Jesus ever spoke about the pain that He suffered on the cross. Such pain would have been well-known to folks in Jesus' time, as it was regularly practiced. Many have portrayed it and described it since, from the great artists right up to modern day and 'The Passion Of The Christ'.

Jesus suffered and bore that pain for you and I. But He didn't keep going on about it. And there is our example...

I would suggest that some of us spend too much time going over the problems of the past, living over again the pain we have undergone, perhaps getting bitter about it, perhaps just feeling sorry for ourselves. What's done is done, it cannot be undone. And we live to tell the tale...

The message for us today is an encouraging one - we have to move on, to push ever forward to new opportunities, and new challenges. We shouldn't dwell on the problems of the past, we're encouraged to leave them behind. That's because Jesus needs us to work with Him to tackle the problems of today; to enable us to bear the pain of today - and to prepare us for the opportunities and problems of tomorrow...

Jump the Shark

I love to chase down interesting phrases or sayings, don't you? I stumbled across one I've never heard before tonight, reading a review in the evening paper. It referred to a TV show having 'jumped the shark'... This is a colloquialism used by TV critics noting that point in the programme's history where the plot spins off into absurd story lines or where there are major changes with the cast or characters. This may be due to flagging ratings, with the show's producers desperately trying to rekindle interest in a show when viewers have started to drift away. This could also be due to a lead actor suddenly quitting.

The phrase refers to a scene in a 1977 episode of 'Happy Days' called 'Hollywood', where Fonzie (Henry Winkler), wearing swimming trunks and his trademark leather jacket, jumps over a shark (in a water tank) on water skis. It has been said by some critics to be the point the show started to go downhill (although, to be fair, the show did last another seven seasons).

Do you sometimes feel that the situation you are in has 'jumped the shark'? That the best days are already behind you, that it's all downhill from now on? I guess we can all think of circumstances where that is so... but rest assured, there's still hope ....

...and my Hope is in the Lord!

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
all other ground is sinking sand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
SASB 745 - Edward Mote (1797-1874)

Ten Quotations for 2010

1. "Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble." - John Madden (American football coach)
2. Jeremiah 29:11 (New International Version) "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
3. "You must pray with all your might. That does not mean saying your prayers, or sitting gazing about in church or chapel with eyes wide open while someone else says them for you. It means fervent, effectual, untiring wrestling with God...This kind of prayer, be sure, the devil and the world and your own indolent, unbelieving nature will oppose. They will pour water on this flame." - William Booth
4. "It's not what you know, it's who you know" - anon
5. Proverbs 11:14 (The Message) "Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."
6. "Whenever you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes)
7. "I call you up whenever things go wrong. You're always there. You are my shoulder to cry on." - lyrics to 'Never Be The Same Again' (Melanie Chisholm, Rhett Lawrence, Lisa Lopes)
8. "Nothing ventured nothing gained. A lonely heart that can't be tamed. I'm hoping that you feel the same. This is something that I can't forget." - more from 'Never Be The Same Again'
9. "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." - Stephen Covey (author)
10. "With Christ Into The Future" - title of a song by Generals John Gowans and John Larsson, included in the musical 'The Meeting'

Happy New Year.
:)

FlashForward...

I don't know whether you got a chance to catch the first episode of 'FlashForward' on Monday. Already hailed as 'the next big thing on US telly', it depicts a frightening world where everyone in the world gets a brief glimpse of their own future, six months later. You see, everyone loses consciousness for exactly 2 minutes and 17 seconds, during which most people get to see visions of their lives on 29th April 2010. An FBI team from LA are soon hard at work to solve the mystery, led by Stanford Wedeck (Courtney B Vance), Mark Benford (Joseph Fiennes) and Demetri Noh (John Cho). Benford's contribution is the creation of a database of the visions (known as 'flash-forwards') from around the world. Known as the Mosaic Collective, he saw himself working on this during his own flash-forward. The show is being aired in the States on Thursdays, with us in the UK getting our showing the Monday after.

The premise is an intriguing one - particularly because most of us would be fascinated to know what is going to happen to us, even six months down the line. However, thankfully, we don't have this insight. We don't know what the future holds... but we do know who holds the future. :)

Matthew 6:34 (NIV)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Never Be The Same Again!

It's been quite interesting looking back this week on the various topics that people have been talking or blogging about this week. All are to do with change, and people's positive or negative reactions to it. Just think of the following:

• The introduction of new Facebook profiles
• The introduction of Google's new StreetView image service
• All the discussion over new scoring in this year's Formula One championship

You can probably add to this list. It seems there are some who like changes, who quickly adapt. Then there are those who don't, who struggle with new systems and methods, who voice their concerns and opinions widely.

Change, however, is an essential part of life and one that we need to embrace. One of my favourite songs is Mel C's 'Never Be The Same Again', a love song speaking of taking the next step in a relationship. It's a bold change, involving stepping out of your comfort zone, possibly into an uncertain future.

Here's lyrics from another song, a Salvation Army favourite:

"When I came to him Christ came to me,
Showed me what he planned that I should be;

I was liberated there and then,
O I’ll never be the same again!"
SASB 376 - John Gowans