On Sunday we thought about how we often miss the things that God has done because we go round with our eyes closed.
Geocaches are hidden in such a way that they should not be seen or found by accident by members of the public. But once you have the co-ordinates and the clue it will only take a few minutes for you to locate the cache.
In Matthew 13 the disciples ask Jesus why he is always speaking in parables. They knew that parables were stories that had a point - but it wasn't always easy to work out what the point was - wouldn't it be easier if Jesus just told them the point and forgot about the nice story?
Jesus was speaking to the crowds and to the disciples. One of the things that distinguished the disciples from the crowds was that the crowds were content with the story - the disciples wanted to know the point - and then they wanted to obey and apply it.
When we read the Bible we are not just reading an ordinary book. As Christians we believe it is the word of God and that it is a living and active book - a book that has the power to transform our lives. It is a book that is full of hidden treasures. When we know the treasure is there we will look for it. When you're looking for a geocache and you know that a cache is in the area where you are you literally leave no stone or log unturned in your search for the prize.
As we read the Bible this year let's pray that God will reveal himself to us in the pages of the Bible. Let's not be content just to dip into the Bible every now and again. But instead let's get serious. Let's read it regularly and prayerfully. Let's make sure that we are part of a church or a study group that wants to read, to understand and apply the Bible to our lives.
There are now only 15 weeks to go until the London Marathon 2013, so serious training starts today.
My schedule has been slightly disrupted by illness just before Christmas and just after New Year which messed up over two weeks of training, but I'm hoping that I can pretty much pick up where I expected to be.
So, this week I have about 33 miles scheduled over 5 sessions including running 3 miles in 21 minutes on Wednesday and then hopefully a 13 mile long run on Friday or Saturday.
Also I will be eating no more chocolate, biscuits, or crisps for the next 15 weeks.
Am I nervous? A little. According to my schedule I'll be running about 17 miles in 5 weeks time. Knowing how I felt after 10 miles on Saturday there is always the fear of the constant risk of injury.
Do I have a target - other than just getting round? Yes. Sub 4 hours - ideally 3:45.
Now you know. I'll update you each week on my progress - and if you see me eating chocolate...
On Sunday morning we used a few of my Christmas presents to think about some of the small things we can do in 2013 that have the potential to make a big difference. Here's the first present.
Now it might just look like a bolt - but of course that would not make a very exciting Christmas present. This is in fact a magnetic geocache. It unscrews to reveal a hidden log book inside.
What is it for? The is a geocache for me to hide somewhere - as I mentioned it is magnetic - for others to find and log their visit. There are millions of geocaches hidden all over the planet - there are about 50 hidden within 2 miles of the church. But most people do not know they are there and so they just walk by day after day. But for those who geocache these things are there waiting to be found.
[If you want to find out a bit more about geocaching read this post].
I'm sure that lots of us walk around every day and we miss so much simply because we're not looking for it, or because we're going too fast, or because we're being distracted by something else. And I expect that lots of us miss the things that God is doing.
So maybe in 2013 we need to slow down a bit and keep our eyes open a little more and be on the look out for what God is doing. This may simply be something incredible or beautiful in creation - a spider's web covered in dew on your walk to school in the morning. Something that just causes us to pause - to say 'wow' - and to thank God for his creation.
I know it is a few days late - but happy New Year. Check back tomorrow and we'll start thinking about small things we can do that could make a big difference for 2013.
