As I mentioned on Sunday we were looking at James as a part of the Community Bible Experience. One of the things that you cannot avoid in James is his insistence that it is simply not good enough to say and think the right things - it has to make a practical difference - it has to lead to us actually doing something. Faith without deeds is no faith at all.
Following the service on Sunday a link to the following song was posted on my Facebook wall, so I thought I'd share it here. This is a song called Albertine by Brooke Fraser.
In 2005 Brooke Fraser took a trip to Africa to immerse herself in Rwanda before visiting her sponsor children in Tanzania, as she is an advocate for child sponsorship. In this trip, she was so moved that she wrote the song Albertine about a young child (named Albertine), whom she met while in Rwanda.
I am sitting still
I think of Angelique
her mothers voice over me
And the bullets in the wall where it fell silent
And on a thousandth hill, I think of Albertine
there in her eyes what I don't see with my own
Rwanda
[CHORUS]
Now that I have seen, I am responsible
Faith without deeds is dead
now that I have held you in my own arms,
I cannot let go till you are
I am on a plane across a distant sea
But I carry you in me
and the dust on, the dust on, the dust on my feet
Rwanda
[CHORUS]
[BRIDGE]
I will tell the world, I will tell them where I've been
I will keep my word
I will tell them Albertine
[CHORUS]
I am on a stage, a thousand eyes on me
I will tell them, Albertine
I will tell them, Albertine.
Tuesday, 4 June 2013
Sunday, 2 June 2013
To shake or not shake...
Today we celebrated our International Sunday at church - which included joining together for lunch afterwards with food from many of the twenty or so countries that were represented - should have got some pictures!
This past week in our Community Bible Experience we have been reading Hebrews, James and Mark - and today we looked at a few verses from James 1 that have something to say to us on our International Sunday.
When you live and work and go to church with a range of people from all over the world it can be very easy to misunderstand each other. Even the simplest of hand gestures can mean very different things depending on where you come from. Raising a hand to acknowledge a considerate driver who stops to allow you to cross the road says 'thank you' in this culture. But in other countries the same gesture can be very offensive.
Even the way we greet each other can be a cause for confusion and offence if we allow it. Some people are quite happy with a nod of acknowledgement, others prefer a firm hand shake, others don't feel happy with anything less than a hug. Today we wore stickers with either head, hand or hug - indicating our preference (a nod of the head, a hand shake, or a hug) - and then we greeted one another based on the other person's preference. It was almost impossible to get people to sit down again.
James tells us to be slow to speak and quick to listen and slow to become angry. Good advice - especially in a multicultural context. It is always good not to jump to conclusions, and to give people the benefit of the doubt - think the best of them, rather than the worst.
This past week in our Community Bible Experience we have been reading Hebrews, James and Mark - and today we looked at a few verses from James 1 that have something to say to us on our International Sunday.
When you live and work and go to church with a range of people from all over the world it can be very easy to misunderstand each other. Even the simplest of hand gestures can mean very different things depending on where you come from. Raising a hand to acknowledge a considerate driver who stops to allow you to cross the road says 'thank you' in this culture. But in other countries the same gesture can be very offensive.
Even the way we greet each other can be a cause for confusion and offence if we allow it. Some people are quite happy with a nod of acknowledgement, others prefer a firm hand shake, others don't feel happy with anything less than a hug. Today we wore stickers with either head, hand or hug - indicating our preference (a nod of the head, a hand shake, or a hug) - and then we greeted one another based on the other person's preference. It was almost impossible to get people to sit down again.
James tells us to be slow to speak and quick to listen and slow to become angry. Good advice - especially in a multicultural context. It is always good not to jump to conclusions, and to give people the benefit of the doubt - think the best of them, rather than the worst.
Wednesday, 22 May 2013
Year Three Homework
Our 7 year old daughter came out of school yesterday so excited about her homework - she just couldn't wait to tell us what it was. After quite a long explanation which included the words 'G8' and 'food' and something about helping people like we do with the shoeboxes we worked out that it was maybe something to do with UNICEF and the IF campaign. Once home a quick search on the internet and we came across the video they had seen in class and the activity that they were doing for their homework.
Tuesday, 21 May 2013
Foodbank
In a few weeks time the Harrow foodbank will open. You may well have heard about foodbanks on the news over recent months as the current economic climate tips more and more people and families over the edge into poverty - poverty that doesn't just mean that they can't afford as many luxuries as they once could - but poverty that means that they can't pay the bills, they can't keep up with the rent, and they can't afford food for the next meal.
This short video will give you an idea as to the importance of this work.
Pop back in a few days time to find out how you can get involved in the Harrow Foodbank or, if you don't live in Harrow why not find out where your local foodbank is.
This short video will give you an idea as to the importance of this work.
Pop back in a few days time to find out how you can get involved in the Harrow Foodbank or, if you don't live in Harrow why not find out where your local foodbank is.
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