I Am Only One

"I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

- Edward Everett Hale (1822-1909)

"Michael, come closer. You were spared to lead the great fight. Don't turn away in fear. One man can make a difference and you are going to be that man."

- Wilton Knight to Michael Knight (first episode of Knight Rider, 1982)

"John Kennedy believed so strongly that one’s aim should not just be the most comfortable life possible, but that we should all do something to right the wrongs we see, and not just complain about them. We owe that to our country, and our country will suffer if we don’t serve her. He believed that one man can make a difference – and that every man should try."

- Jacqueline Kennedy, 1964

Mr. Spock: [holding his hands to form an circle symbol] One.

Sevrin: [Sevrin and Adam look up and form the same circle symbol with their hands] We are one.

Mr. Spock: One is the beginning.

Adam: Are you one, Herbert?

Mr. Spock: [dead-panned] I am not Herbert.

Adam: [smiles] He's not Herbert. We reach!

- The Way to Eden (Star Trek original series episode, 1969)

Keep On Praying!

 “Never give up praying until the answer comes.” George Müller

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ‘In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, “Grant me justice against my adversary.”

4 ‘For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!”’

6 And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’

Luke 18:1-8 (NIV)

When All Is Going Wrong ... Keep Going

What an awful day yesterday was. It was dreadful. Everything seemed to be conspiring against me. Every way I turned I could hear negative voices telling me my situation was simply impossible. Some in my own head, some from people I tried to phone yesterday in an effort to solve it quickly.

Did I give up?

No. 

I prayed and then I went to bed. Trying to sort it out when I was so tired was impossible.

And I got up the next day, prayed again, and set to work solving what appeared to be impossible the previous day.

It's now late afternoon on that next day. Okay, some things aren't solved, however they are in the hands of people I can trust. The way through this is much clearer.

Despite the negativity, the less-than-helpful comments, the train strikes that slowed down my journey to sort this issue out. I kept going despite all this, and won through.

Don't give up. Don't give in.

10 So do not fear, for I am with you;

    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
11 “All who rage against you
    will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
    will be as nothing and perish.
12 Though you search for your enemies,
    you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
    will be as nothing at all.
13 For I am the Lord your God
    who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
    I will help you.

Isaiah 41:10-13 (New International Version)

Nevertheless, God Loves You...

Following on from my train of thought from my two earlier posts...

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
  ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:35-39 (New International Version)

K is for Keep On Asking

‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NIV) - the words of Jesus

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8 (NLT) - the words of Jesus

Saturday Catch-Up - 19th January 2019

“Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.” ― Winston Churchill

Well, that was a week to remember! Feeling so much better health-wise, feeling so much worse when I start looking at the news headlines ... oh well ... I've made it to the end of yet another week!

And so, it's onward and upward. As I look back over the last seven days, I revel in those many little victories at work, when so many things have combined to conspire against me. I rejoice in those precious incidents when I feel I have bonded with a kindred spirit, each of us battling to do the best job we can in our own small corner. I pat myself on the back when I continue to take a stand to help my fellow man - when so many others want to sweep them under the carpet, to boot them out.

It's the small things that have made a difference to my life this week. Because most of the big things have been, to tell the truth, a bit... meh!

Yeah, I know, it's more how I have felt about this week, and not what I have actually experienced. And I know, feelings can be deceptive.

Feelings come and feelings go,
And feelings are deceiving;
My warrant is the Word of God -
Naught else is worth believing. 
― Martin Luther

Saturday Catch-Up - 12th January 2019

Do I truly believe that 'My God is a God of Miracles'?

I'm writing this whilst I am actually feeling pretty low. I'm full of cold, and am therefore taking cough and cold remedies on a regular basis - well, as best I can so that it doesn't interact adversely from the other medications that I am on. I'm finding it a bit of a struggle to keep on going, at a time of the year when the workload is just starting to ramp up for me. And yet, I can't give in and rest up. And, I've got an overnight session at the Cold Weather Shelter tonight to look forward to. Oh, the joys!

In fact, I gave in to the cold on Thursday night, I simply couldn't fight it any more. I retreated into bed for the rest of the evening, weak as a kitten and racked with pain. And twelve hours later I woke and struggled to my feet on Friday morning for yet another round. As Captain America might say "I can do this all day..."

And yet - I still believe whole-heartedly that this is only a passing time of struggle. If I don't weaken, and don't give in, I can win through. I can make a difference. I truly believe we are 'more than conquerors' here (see below). Things will change, there will be a miracle just around the corner... Just keep on the right lines, keep faithful, keep believing...

So I keep going. I pick myself up, and struggle on for the extra mile. Pushing the boundaries as far as I can stretch them.

Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight: old Japanese proverb

Romans 8:31-39 (NIV)
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:
   “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I keep going. I look for the miracle just around the corner. Maybe tomorrow...

Just Hold On

Running With Perseverance

It's hard to simply keep going.

Keep going - when things aren't easy, when for days on end everything seems to be constantly "uphill and against the wind".

I persevere, but I'm afraid it doesn't get any easier. The longer I go, the harder it seems to get! Understandably - because I need to put some effort into it if my life is to be faithful, to be worthwhile. I understand that what I am undertaking is a marathon rather than a sprint. I need to run with endurance, as well as perseverance.

I've tried to rid myself of all of the things that hinder... have I forgotten to ditch something?

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Hmmm. "Grow weary and lose heart". Yes, that's the problem. It's too easy for me to lose heart if I lose my focus on the reason why I am running. I need to fix my eyes, not on what I am doing, but who I am doing it for....

I must also run "the race marked out" for me. Not the race I want to run. But the one I'm instructed to run.

Keep On Asking

I've been personally reminded today of the need for persistence in prayer. God is pleased when we are truly focussed on our prayers and don't give up. Which actually does make some sense. Because He puts tremendous importance on faith.

"Why hasn't God answered my prayer yet?" That's not for me to say. Perhaps He has answered it, but not in the way that you had expected. Or maybe, He is waiting for something else from you. However, I do know that He does want to hear from you.

Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7? Encouraging us to ask, to seek, to knock? Fantastic words to remember, however some translations don't emphasise that well about the need for persistence. Listen to the same verse in the New Living Translation:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7 (NLT)

Keep at it. Show Him that you are serious.

Show Him that you trust Him enough to continue praying again and again and again.

Show Him that you have faith in Him.

Here's some more words from Jesus:

“There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people.
A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, but this woman is driving me crazy. I'm going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’” 
Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” - Luke 18:2-8 (NLT)

Sometimes The Bear Gets You

I don't know anybody who deliberately sets out to have a bad day. Every new day is pristine, new, unwritten. A blank canvas to paint on. A fresh start.

But I can think of plenty of people who try their very best to help others, only to have that help thrown back in their face - suddenly, they're on the receiving end of a tirade of abuse. My heart goes out to these caring people. They don't deserve that sort of treatment. It's awful - but it happens.

The title of this blog entry comes from a misquotation of a comment from Elwin Charles "Preacher" Roe. He was a pitcher who played Major League Baseball between 1938 - 1954 (apart from his military service in World War Two). He was renowned for his amazing control over the ball. But even he had his bad days.

On one occasion he was taken out of the game very early on, saying "Sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you".

It's very true. Some people can be rude, obnoxious, downright unhelpful. Sometimes 'the bear gets you' and you're suffering, hurt, questioning why someone could be so ungrateful...

But that's no reason not to keep trying to help them ... and that's why I keep coming back to the "Paradoxical Commandments", a reading that I blogged about a year or two ago.

Just Do It Anyway. Make a difference.

Never Give Up, Never Surrender

The quotation above is taken from 'Galaxy Quest', a 1999 film parody of Star Trek fandom which starred Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell. It's essentially the catchphrase of the lead character in the show. It's fast becoming one of mine! The quotation neatly encapsulates my determination to persevere through what is fast becoming the most difficult period of the year so far. In places, the situation could be described as 'dire'.

I know what I need to do. The secret is of course not to give up. Giving up means that you lose. Perseverance gives you a chance of winning. However, that's not easy. But whoever said that it would be easy?

I'm re-reading Hebrews 12 tonight. It's very appropriate.

Never give up.

Stay Alert! Don't Quit!

Matthew 10:16-23 (The Message)
"Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.

Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you—and me—a favour, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.

When people realise it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you've run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived. "