Today I'm thankful for ...

There are all sorts of things that you may be feeling anxious and worried about at the moment. I know that the list of prayer requests on our church WhatsApp group continues to grow as we pray for family and friends who are working on the frontline in the NHS, those who have coronavirus, those whose regular medical conditions and care are being impacted by the current crisis, those who are struggling with the impact of isolation ... 

There is certainly a lot to be anxious about. But in Philippians 4:4-7 Paul writes:

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

God invites us to bring our concerns and needs to him in prayer, and he promises to give us his peace - a peace that is beyond all understanding - a peace that makes no sense given the circumstances we are in. 

But God invites us to bring our concerns and needs along with thanksgiving. Paul tells us to rejoice always. 

That might seem beyond you at the moment depending on your situation. I know from my own experience, sitting at a hospital bedside, watching the monitors and listening to the beeps, that there are times when even simple prayers have been beyond me - let alone looking for something to be thankful for.

Looking back I'm thankful that at those times God promises to hear our unspoken groans and cries - and that there were others who were able to pray for me and on my behalf.


One of the things that we're doing as a family in this time of staying at home is to start each meal, going round the table, stating one thing that we're glad for. Our glad list is now getting quite long. 

This time has certainly made me more thankful for the things that we do have and has dispelled any sense of taking things for granted. I'm thankful that we're still allowed out to exercise once a day, that we live in a beautiful part of the world, that God's creation is so amazing, and that the sun comes up each morning.

I'm also thankful for music.

Into the darkness

Under normal circumstances, this afternoon would have been our monthly Oasis Tea. Oasis is held in the Village Hall on the fourth Thursday of the month and is run jointly by the local Baptist, Anglican and Catholic churches. It's an opportunity for some of the more senior members of our community to come together, to enjoy conversation and an informal table-top quiz, to have a piece of cake and a cup of tea and take part in a short service - usually a prayer, Bible reading, a hymn and then a short talk on a given theme. This is sometimes followed by a simple craft.

Last year our theme was 'people who made a difference' and over the course of the year we looked at a number of individuals whose Christian faith had had a real impact on their lives - and through them, the lives of many others.

This year our theme is focused on artists, poets, authors and musicians - again, those whose Christian faith has influenced their work.

This afternoon it was to be my turn to lead the service and the title for this afternoon was 'Into the darkness'. I should just add that the titles are deliberately chosen so that no one has a clue as to what it's about.

Today's talk was going to be about Minnie Louise Haskins. I'm not going to tell you much about her here - as I may want to use this talk at some point in the future once we're able to meet together again safely. But Minnie Louise Haskins was a poet and she became widely known after King George VI read one of her poems as a part of his Christmas message in December 1939, in the very early days of WWII.

Popularly known as 'The Gate of the Year', the poem was named 'God knows' by the author. It was certainly relevant at that point in our history. It is also strikingly relevant in these days of coronavirus. The future is very uncertain. We are currently in lockdown and no one knows for how long. We can't see what the future holds. But God promises to lead us through the darkness. We might not know what the future holds - but God does.

You'll find the whole of the poem here, but the first verse says,

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:  “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”  

And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”  

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. 

Trying something new

I enjoy learning new things - which is just as well, considering the number of new things that I've had to learn in the last week. Yesterday's church service was pre-recorded on Friday by a handful of individuals who had never done this sort of thing before. If you wanted to be picky there were a whole load of things that we could have done better, but to be honest, no one was being picky. 

One of the interesting things is that each of those who took part felt a certain 'cringe factor' watching themselves - but everyone else found the recording such a blessing. I wonder what kind of response we would have had - if we'd asked those who were involved, 'we're thinking of doing a pre-recorded church service and we'd love you to be a part of it - what do you think?'

Whenever we feel God asking us to do something different or new most of us can usually come up with a host of reasons as to why that's not a good idea, and a whole list of names of people who could do it better. And to be honest quite a few of those people probably could do it 'better'. But that's not the point. If God is asking us to do it then he will enable it to be a blessing to others.

Over these next few weeks, many of us are going to have to learn things that we imagined we couldn't do. Some of us are going to be asked to do things that are out of our comfort zones. We may make some mistakes. There may be others who could do it better. But if God is asking us to do it - then he will make it a blessing to others.

(And if you've been blessed by something that someone has done - have you encouraged them by letting them know?)

Establishing the new normal

Each day this week, here in the UK, the restrictions on what we can and can't do get tighter as the government seeks to slow the rate of spread of the Coronavirus. Yesterday schools closed for the majority of pupils and for many in Years 6, 11 and 13 they treated yesterday as their last day at their current school. We certainly had a very upset Year 6 this week as she realised all those things that she was going to miss out on in the summer term - SATs breakfasts, talent shows, school production, leavers' assembly, activities week...

We are entering uncharted territory in the coming weeks and months - normal life is not going to be possible. The expectation is that for the majority of people most of their time is going to be spent at home, for days, for weeks, for months. And potentially this has a massive impact on wellbeing and mental health.

But there are many ways we can tackle this issue. Within the church, it has been great this week to see people making the effort to keep in touch. 

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

Some are embracing modern technology for the first time and finding that they can use WhatsApp or FaceTime after all. Our homegroup successfully used Google Meets to meet virtually on Thursday. And it has been good to see that those who only have a phone have not been left out and people are calling them for a chat.

If we were only facing a week of living at home it would be easy to treat it as a holiday. It would be easy to laze around in front of the TV, read a book, play a few games, surf the net and eat pizza. But we're not facing just a week of this. There is no definite end in sight. Certainly, schools seem to have written off the whole of the summer term.

And therefore I think it is important for all of us to create our own structures for our days. We're going to be homeschooling three children across the primary and secondary range so that's going to be significantly different to normal. 

Others, who are retired, or those who already homeschool, for example, will have already created structures, but often these still involve points in the week or the day where they go out to do something. Whether it be church, or Oasis Tea, or Friendship Group, or wine club, or the village cinema, or coffee at the local garden centre or fish & chips on Friday lunchtime - all of that structure has now gone.

Personally, we're taking this weekend easy. Just to be kind to ourselves. But from Monday we're going to start to build a new normal. We're not sure what that's going to look like yet, and as events change, we will almost certainly have to be flexible. But here are a few ideas.

Eating together as a family - round the table at fixed times (including breakfast).

Photo by Regular Man on Unsplash

Talking of eating - meals need to be prepared - turn that into an activity too.

Up and dressed by a fixed time - no slumming it in your PJs all day long!

Schools are supposed to hold an assembly, an act of worship, each day. Most don't. But we can. There are loads of resources for individuals and families that can help us to start the day with 'an act of worship' or a family devotional time. 

Work / school work - whether you're working from home or your children are, set times in the day when that is going to happen. If you're fortunate enough to have dedicated space where that can happen that's great, but even working at the table rather than sat on the sofa with your laptop can help to separate the downtime from the work time.

Talking of downtime - factor that in too - time for different members of the family to go off and do their own thing.

Exercise. At the moment in the UK we're still able to exercise outside as long as you don't come within 2m of someone. We're fortunate to live somewhere where that is quite easy. I'm still able to get out and run and as a family we can get out for walks - schedule them into the plan.

I live in quite a crafty household and hobbies such as knitting, crochet, paper crafts can easily be built into the daily routine. Others will have different hobbies and passions that can also be easily accommodated indoors - music practise for example. Whilst classes and lessons are clearly not happening at the moment - have a look online and see what you can find.

But that's not going to be possible for everyone. Archery, football and squash are three pastimes that won't be happening in this household anytime soon. So what about trying something new, or resurrecting something that has been neglected in recent years? I'm going to wait and see how the next few weeks pan out in terms of workload but I might be tempted to take up learning the guitar again - in a structured way, built into a weekly plan.

And then there are all the Holy Habits that we've been looking at in church since January 2019. Is this the opportunity to kick start that Bible in a Year reading programme, or to spend a bit more time in prayer?

I expect things are going to continue to change rapidly over the coming days and weeks and therefore, whatever we do, we're going to need to be flexible and adaptable. We're also probably in for the long haul, so start slowly and build up. To use a running analogy - it's going to be a marathon, not a sprint.

Share your ideas below in the comments section below (note that comments don't appear immediately - they have to be moderated first).

Being church in a different way

One of the things that we talked about at our Church Life & Growth session the other weekend was that when the New Testament talks about 'church' it doesn't have a building in mind - rather, a group of Christians who have gathered together. Presumably, when the Apostle Paul turned up somewhere like Philippi in the first century and asked about where he could find 'the church' he would be pointed towards a place such as a house or a riverside where Christians were known to gather at such-and-such a time (see Acts 16:13 for example).

So, what do the current restriction on meeting together mean for the church? If we can't physically meet how can we be church?

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how we spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the day approaching."

Given modern technology, it is relatively easy to think of ways in which we can continue to keep in touch with each other, to encourage each other, to spur each other on. Everyone in our church has access to a telephone (the plugged into the wall variety) and many have the ability to FaceTime, Skype etc etc.

Over these next few weeks we need to be thinking and exploring different ways of being church. Please bear with us as we explore the different technology and options!

So this coming Sunday we're planning on producing a pre-recorded 'service' including some sung worship, prayer, Bible reading and a reflection. This will be available on the internet - details of where will be coming nearer the time. We'll also be looking at ways of interacting together afterwards.

It's been great also to see the church at the heart of the community response to this situation. Yesterday and today the whole of the village was leaflet dropped with key phone numbers and email addresses - so that those who are feeling alone and isolated and needing some help can get in touch.

This is a rapidly changing situation but in these uncertain times remember that God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is the faithful God who loves us.

Grace and peace, Keith

Keeping in touch

It was clear within minutes of the Prime Minister's address yesterday regarding the coronavirus that life was going to change significantly, certainly in the short term and probably for much longer. 

Whilst some people may think of a building when you mention the word 'church', the word in the New Testament is used to describe a gathering of Christians. So when gatherings of people are stopped, that pretty much rules out much of what we do as church. 

Or does it simply require that we re-imagine the way that we 'do church'? Over these next few days, we're going to have to do a lot of re-imagining.

Keeping in touch is going to be very important over this time of social distancing and self-isolation and therefore I plan to restart my blog. Here's a letter that we sent out via our church mailing list yesterday.

Dear {first name}

Who would have imagined at the start of the year, as we talked about our hopes and desires for 2020, that within ten weeks we’d be facing a situation where most of what we considered ‘normal life’ was closing down and being suspended? People being asked to work from home, not to socialise, not to gather together. The Prime Minister saying that we’re facing the greatest challenge since the Second World War. 

Often, we talk about God being in control. Of God not being surprised, but knowing the end from the beginning. I wonder, do we only believe that for the small surprises that come our way – or do we still believe that now? Do we believe it in the light of earth-shattering events?

Photo by Val Toch on Unsplash

In Psalm 46 we read about the earth giving way, mountains falling into the heart of the sea, waters roaring and foaming and mountains quaking. This is poetic language and should not just be taken literally. Certainly, for many people, as they come to terms with the implications of the Prime Minister’s words this afternoon, they are feeling as if the bottom has dropped out of the world. That the world has been turned upside down. Everything that they have put their trust and faith in is suddenly shown to be powerless.

And it is within this earth-shattering context that the Psalmist writes “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble, therefore I will not fear”. The Psalm goes on to remind us that God, the Lord Almighty is with us and ends with the encouragement to “be still, and know that I am God”.

It is my prayer that all of us may know God’s peace and that in the middle of all the turmoil around us we will be able to be still and know that God is with us.

One of the things that we keep being told is that this is a rapidly changing situation. It certainly is. Decisions we took yesterday no longer apply. Many of you will be wondering what the Prime Minister’s announcement means for you personally, and also for the church. It is difficult to plan more than a day at a time at the moment – but the Trustees are in regular contact with each other and are following Government and BU guidance. We held a video conference call last night and will do so again on Tuesday evening.

In terms of the short term – we will be suspending Fabric & Yarns, Bumps & Babes and EDGE with immediate effect. We will seek to get the word out via our Social Media platforms and let as many people know as possible.

We are also suspending home groups and we are awaiting guidance from the Baptist Union regarding what happens on Sunday. 

Having said all of that, we will be looking at ways of ensuring that we continue ‘to meet together’ – even if we don’t do that physically. We appreciate that not everyone in the fellowship has the ability to take part in a remote homegroup held over video on their mobile or computer – but many of us will, and some of us will learn fast over the coming few days. For those that can’t then phone calls will continue to be vital.

And then there are the ways that we can help and serve each other and our community. From collecting shopping, to posting letters, to making phone calls … now is the time to ask God how he wants us to be salt and light in this community – how he wants to transform lives through us.

I appreciate that many of you will be worried about the next few days and weeks. Please don’t worry alone and in silence. If you’re anxious about how you’re going to get your shopping, or about how you’ll cope without going to groups like Fabric & Yarns or Oasis Tea then please do phone someone and talk about it.

Please note that the staff will mainly be working from home rather than from the office, so whilst we’ll still be able to respond to email in the normal way, you’ll need to call us at home if you want to phone. Most phone numbers can be found on Church Box – but if you need a paper version of the Church Box directory then please do ask. The best way to contact me is on my mobile which is ***** *** ***. Don’t worry about using this number and disturbing me – I switch it off when I don’t want to be disturbed – but you can still leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Later in the week we will have a clearer idea of what happens next, and I’ll be in touch to let you know.

In the meantime remember that God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Grace and peace,


Keith