Category: Thought for the week

Last weekend I was working with a friend on a project in the garden and it reminded me again of the importance of collaboration. We completed in two hours a task that on our own would have probably taken over eight. A simple example, but it opens a bigger concept I think we often struggle to grasp.

We read in the bible that Jesus lived a collaborative lifestyle and he taught the disciples the wisdom of collaboration. In Luke 5:4 he invited Simon Peter “Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish.” Jesus first invited a level of faith and then created a moment beyond their own resource and waited. In verse 7 we read “a shout for help brought their partners in the other boat and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.” The disciples were astonished with the catch of fish they had taken. The key: They first trusted and then decided to reach for help and not try to haul the catch in themselves.

Jesus, the ultimate supplier of all things, borrowed many items including homes and even a donkey. We don’t always know who these people were that loaned Jesus these things but we know that they were people with whom he had built a collaborative relationship. He worked with the rich and the poor, religious leaders and business leaders. He modeled partnership and collaboration and so the early church thrived on this.

When I first heard this teaching, around the time we started the Foodbank project in 2011, it stuck with me. But it was one phrase that perhaps had the greatest impact: People do not have to be 100% for us to not be against us. A collaborative mind understands that but in life we often major on the 20% we don’t agree on and that prevents us moving forward. A growth environment will often put you into partnership with other people you may not have expected, but maybe that’s what being part of a community is about.

I want to encourage you in 2017 to think much more collaboratively than perhaps you’ve done to date. We all have a limited amount of time and resource and the idea isn’t to keep squeezing more out of our often-busy lives. You can achieve much more with God than you can with your own limited resources, but that often involves partnering with others.

This has been the foundation that we have built on at the Kings Lynn Foodbank, that we can achieve more together. When our focus is about the goal and not ourselves then we can reach more people.

January is the month of Holocaust Memorial Day and the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and both of them are really about how human beings live together throughout the world. January 27th is the anniversary of the liberation of Aushwitz-Birkenau, the largest of the Nazi death camps, and therefore a day to remember the slaughter of 6 million Jewish people in an attempt to exterminate all Jews. But it is much more than that, partly because we mustn’t forget that maybe 250,000 homosexual people, 250,000 disabled people, many Roma people and other minority groups, that were also slaughtered, by the Nazis. And it doesn’t stop with the Nazis: well over a million Armenian civilians were murdered during the First World War; over two million people died in Cambodia between 1975 and 1979; over a million Tutsi people in Rwanda in 1994; 8,000 Muslim men and boys in Bosnia in July 1995; the continuing civil war in Dafur has claimed up to half a million civilian lives. And what can we say of Syria? In the UK during 2015, there were over 900 antisemitic incidents, about 2,500 hate crimes against Muslims, 5,500 attacks because of the victim’s sexuality and 2,500 because of the victim was disabled. Since June last year, the number of crimes against immigrant people has greatly increased. Why are human beings capable of doing such things?
The theme of Holocaust Memorial Day is “How can life go on?” How can those who have experienced the victimization demonstrated by these statistics, live now? How can all of us change to turn away from this hatred and violence and realize that blaming and victimizing other people for our perceived misfortunes will never benefit us.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a positive response to the scandal of division among Christian Churches. Mostly the divisions are cultural and administrative, although perhaps a few disagreements are more fundamental. But the importance of Christian unity is because Christians believe that God’s will is for the unity of all human beings. God loves us, and loves every other person as much as he loves us. Divided Churches are a bad example, but the prayer of all Christians is that all human beings may be united in love. Whether we pray or not, that’s a worthwhile ambition for us all, and it is the only hope for overcoming all the hatred and violence that destroys human lives.

Canon Chris Ivory
Kings Lynn Minster

Last year, I decided to sand and re-varnish the floorboards in our living room, hallway and dining room. This major refurbishment task was well overdue – delayed repeatedly due to the demands of parenthood and a pathological fear of a DIY disaster.

The floorboards had been coated in layer upon layer of thick, dark mahogany varnish. As I ran the floor sander over the boards, amongst the noise and the dust, the layers of varnish were stripped off. I was worried about what had been buried underneath – our house is nearly 200 years old and full of unwanted surprises. What horrors would be revealed?

Once I’d stripped off the last layer of varnish, once the dust had settled, what was left was an old but beautiful pine floor. Some of the boards had split or frayed; some were heavily knotted; some had old sultanas and stickers and bits of Lego stuck in the cracks. But what we were left with was clear and full of character.

As I looked at this new, bare, slightly damaged floor, I considered how my life had been in the past – how I’d carried on with a veneer of “togetherness”; how easily I’d masked my flaws and failures. In Psalm 139, one of many poems in the Bible, King David writes “Oh Lord, you have examined my heart and You know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up; You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.”

God could see what I looked like beneath my veneer; God could see the beauty and the flaws; God could see the parts of my life that needed ripping out, mending and replacing. And because God is the perfect architect and the perfect restorer, God knew that the only way I could live my life to my full potential was through Him.

It’s easier now than it’s ever been to live a life where mistakes and flaws are glossed over. As a regular user of Facebook, I know how easy it is to paint an idyllic picture of family life, to present the highlights and mask the mistakes. But God wants you just as you are. There’s no veneer that He doesn’t see through; His plan for your life is perfect.

If you are tired of life under layers of thick, dark mahogany varnish, if you want God to properly restore you, seek Him today and find others (in a local church) who are being restored by Him.

Andy King
The Gateway Church, Kings Lynn

If we can help each person to reach their full potential that surely must be what God wants. According to Niall Ferguson’s book Civilisation, the historical difference in levels of poverty between North and South America shows how people given their own land and freedom of opportunity in the North leads to less poverty compared to the holding of land and opportunity by an elite few in the South.
Beyond contradiction and conflict; beyond choices between my dreams of the future or yours; beyond my ego and yours; beyond judgement and sentencing; beyond knowledge and precision; beyond work and service; beyond crisis, sickness and death; in togetherness is the mercy of God. It is our journey’s end, our goal, our meaning and our home.
There is a force or common good in reality which is bringing us together to achieve great things. Psalm 126 says ‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labour’.
The monks at Ampleforth Abbey use the following five statements, with their five linked consolations, to help them to transfer their motivation to the common good:
1. Life is hard but when we work together Jesus tells us that ‘my yoke is easy, my burden light’.
2. I am not important but each person is important to God.
3. My life is not about me but I am crucial in the bigger picture.
4. I am not in control but God is in control.
5. I am going to die but in dying I live.
Once I have transferred my motivation away from my selfish desires and back to God I have undergone repentance like the Prodigal Son who said: ‘Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son’. His Father did not scold him but celebrated because ‘this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found’ Luke 15:24.
It’s difficult to accept suffering when life is hard. Southwick and Charney’s book on resilience explores 10 features which improve people’s ability to recover from trauma. They are: 1. Realistic optimism; 2. Facing fear; 3. A moral compass; 4. Religion and spirituality; 5. Social support; 6. Resilient role models; 7. Physical fitness; 8. Brain fitness; 9. Cognitive and emotional flexibility and 10. Meaning and purpose in life.

Peter Coates, secretary of Churches Together in King’s Lynn.

Why volunteer? A better question to ask yourself is why not volunteer? Participating in volunteer work provides great benefits for everyone involved, and is likely to improve your future prospects as well as your current circumstances. Think about that cause you are passionate about – rescuing abused animals, preserving the environment, creating a safe place for the homeless. Whatever it may be; this is your chance to make a difference. Volunteering isn’t about finding a dull bit of unpaid work to help you get that job you actually want, it’s about using your time to do something you love. Your perspective is key: if you see it as this, any other doors it opens up will simply be an added bonus.

Volunteer work isn’t guaranteed to find you a job, but it will definitely make a difference to your CV and ultimately it will enable you to spend your time doing something you believe in. Doing something you love will undoubtedly improve your current circumstances. We all know being unemployed can be emotionally draining, often leaving you doubting your skills or simply feeling restless and rearing to get out of the house.Purpose, passion and perseverance are three vital ingredients that make the difference between living and surviving. Why not invest your time into volunteering and boost your confidence and motivation?

Time is one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone. Think about the moments that you value the most, if you took a photo of each of those moments, they will most likely to consist of a collection of your family and friends. Time is precious and it says a lot about character. Employers and recruiters, like us, are ordinary people and they know the importance of time. That’s why volunteer work is valued so highly when it comes to getting a job. It’s a chance to show managers you’re willing to spend time and effort investing into their company or cause.If you don’t think you have what it takes, use your period of unemployment as a chance to gain further abilities. Ask to be given responsibilities and tasks that will help you learn new skills or sharpen the ones you already have.Be confident and develop as many contacts as you can – ask them to direct you to any future jobs or internships that might be arising.

Volunteering might seem quite a daunting process. Maybe you’re not sure where to begin looking for placements or you’re struggling to build up the confidence to do it? If you’re feeling overwhelmed, don’t worry, there are hundreds of others who feel exactly the same. CAP Job Clubs are here to help. We will teach you vital skills whether it’s building confidence or communicating with employers. Meeting in small groups, CAP Job Clubs will support and encourage you as your search for employment begins.

For more information check out capjobclubs.org or to book your place call 0800 328 0006 or 01553 774881.

Mike Ikwuagwu

The Gateway Church

My son hates anything sad or scary, even on television. Through movie afternoons, we keep asking him, “Who wins in the end?” eliciting the much-rehearsed reply, “baddies always lose, goodies always win.” Watching ‘Cinderella,’ one Sunday afternoon, his usual panic set in. The initial beauty of the film faded into the darker scenes and he announced that he wanted to watch something else!
Knowing he would cope better with the scary bits if he knew what lay beyond them, I pressed pause. After five minutes explaining about ugly sisters, wicked step mothers, magic pumpkins, glass slippers, a handsome prince and a happily ever after, he was all smiles again, eager to press on.
As we watched more, it struck me that we, as adults, are not dissimilar in our approach to life and faith. We meander happily through sunnier parts of life but when troubles and trials hit, we want to pause the story, hide away from the sheer discomfort of it. If, we reason, we could just know that next week, month, year, things will look up, we could keep going. The uncertainty makes us doubt and fear. We long to know the end from the beginning but we don’t – we can’t.
There is, however, reassurance in knowing the One who does! Sometimes we yearn for God to unfold our narrative in advance, as I did for my son; we reason that it would help us to anticipate the peaks and troughs, navigate them more gracefully. Instead God calls us to a place of surrender and trust, where all we can do is place our hand in His and trust Him to lead us safely through, giving us all the grace we need for each moment.
We do not know what twists and turns will lead us through life to our story’s end, but we can count on two things. Firstly, God will work out all things, joy-filled and excruciatingly painful, for our good. Secondly, the final end to all of our stories will be one of rejoicing, wholeness and peace for all eternity, if we’ve put our trust in Him. With my hand in the hand of an author who writes like that, I can confidently walk through my story, even without knowing the full script. I can walk, trust and surrender – even stumble and trip – knowing that the One who wrote my story from the very beginning, will give me all I need to live it, right until the very end.
Georgina Tennant
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

Embrace the Mud!
Earlier this spring, I took my two boys for a spontaneous trip to the park. Once there, I realised I had forgotten my wellies; it was the kind of day where you more than needed them! The boys were not to be deterred, so I squelched on, letting my leather boots get damp and muddy. I swung my oldest son too high on the swing you dangle from by your arms, and landed him on his rear in the mud – in his new coat! This was a good point to discover that I had forgotten the wet wipes, so we laughed, let the mud dry on his jeans and coat and our hands, and quite simply stayed muddy.
Faced with no other option, instead of becoming annoyed and upset, I embraced the mud. The best by-product of this approach was the freedom the mud-wrestling mishap gave my son to henceforth abandon all care. He was muddy. It was Mummy’s fault! Further cautioning about mud was entirely irrelevant. We swung, spun, climbed and ran, and discovered that life was more than worth living, despite – and because of – the mud.
It felt like a spiritual lesson lurked somewhere, about abandon and surrender of control –one God was orchestrating with a chuckle! Something to do with landing on one’s bottom and being caked in mud being liberating because the mud brings a freedom not to expect things to be perfect; a freedom to laugh and plough on despite the mud (and the strange discovery that this is possible); and the freedom to trust that the mud will eventually brush off more easily later on, than if we’d stopped, cried, sat in it and tried to wipe it off, still wet and slimy, as soon as it stuck.
So, spiritually, it made me realise I sometimes need to drop my attempts to always be fully prepared, always have my “wet wipes” about my person – the things I think I can do in my own strength to control and minimise the mud. Sometimes – much, more often in fact – I need to leave it to God. I need to trust His timing and learn that it’s okay, even liberating, to walk caked in mud for a while, knowing that life continues despite the mud and that His gentle hand will brush it off when the time is right, restoring me to all I should be, with some richer experiences to relate, about the time I walked, caked in mud, but sparkling with His life and joy.
Georgina Tennant
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship