Helen and I were expecting a phone call from her oncologist tomorrow morning. But she phoned late this afternoon with good news! Last Thursday’s scan shows that the swollen lymph nodes in her chest are smaller (and no new ones are visible). Also the cancer nodules in her lungs were hardly detectable. And her immunity levels have improved since her last test. So, as you can imagine, we’re smiling and thanks are ascending! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!

(Helen will, of course, continue her treatment and will continue to be monitored regularly.)

It’s been a weekend of remembering as the nation celebrated the 75^th anniversary of VE Day. Stories have been retold, archive footage broadcast and old songs given a makeover – all designed to stir memories along with a sense of gratitude.

May 2020 holds a special significance for me as I celebrate a golden anniversary. No, I’ve not been married that long! I’m talking about my baptism in Coedpenmaen Baptist Church, Pontypridd on 24 May 1970. I was twelve years of age. A few months earlier I had, as usual, sat through the evening service – I can’t say that the sermon had particularly grabbed my attention but the words of the final hymn moved me to tears as God’s Spirit touched me deep within. I don’t remember what hymn it was, but I do remember my Dad, standing next to me, offering me a Polo mint. To this day I have no idea why he did so and I’ve never worked out the theological or pastoral significance of the mint with a hole! After the service, the minister (Rev W.J. Evans) led me in prayer of commitment. There then followed a series of baptismal preparation classes (with four others) and we all ended up being baptised that Sunday evening in May.

I remember that the water was chilly, to say the least, but other than that my memories of the occasion are sketchy. And little did I know where my vows of loyalty to Christ and his church would take me. Five years later I began to sense a call into full-time Christian ministry … and the rest, as they say, is history.

I’ve been thinking over the milestones in my life that have led me to where I am now, memories that have stirred a sense of gratitude to God for the many, many people who’ve played their part in my journey from there to here. If you’re reading this, you’re probably one of them – Thank You.
(I wonder what memories a Polo mint stirs up for others … ?)

In other news – Helen had her CT scan at the RD&E in Exeter last Thursday. We’re expecting to hear the results next Wednesday. Once again, Thank You to everyone for holding us in your prayers.

And these made me chuckle …

Job application howlers:
“Responsible for ruining the entire operation for the Midland chain of stores.”
“I worked for six years as an uninformed security guard.”
“Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.”

Baffling Signs:
Outside a restaurant: TRY OUR NEW VEGETARIAN PORK SANDWICH
In the offices of a loan company: ASK ABOUT OUR PLANS FOR OWNING YOUR HOME
Outside a fish restaurant: TODAY’S SPECIAL: BUY ONE FISH & CHIPS FOR THE PRICE OF TWO AND RECEIVE A SECOND FISH & CHIPS ABSOLUTELY FREE!

I did warn you, and now I’ve done it. Here’s my first ever YouTube on my channel … Go on, I dare you!

During the course of a conversation with the leaders of Worle Baptist Church (we were ‘interviewing’ each other I seem to remember), I stated that I was committed to ‘life long learning’. Little did I know what that would turn out to look like. I guess I was sending out the signal that I wasn’t stuck in a rut and that I still had energy and drive, and that I was sure that the Lord would continue to do new things in and through me in a new church pastorate. But I must be honest. It didn’t occur to me that I would start blogging and now (because of the Lockdown) swotting up on Facebook Live (my new pulpit), learning how to Zoom to meetings from my study and exploring the ins and outs of website design and, to cap it all, I find myself about to launch my own YouTube channel. (Watch this space, as they say). It’s been, and continues to be, a steep learning curve! (And I’ve also used the post box far more than I have in quite a while as we try by all means to keep in touch with those without internet access.)

The world in which we live has changed and will never be quite the same again. I find that both exciting and daunting in the same breath. It’s perhaps important to remember that one of the things our unchanging God loves to do is change things. He doesn’t appear to have listened to those who, down through the years, have tried to keep things as they ‘always were’. Even so, I hadn’t seen what was coming. I had no idea that being committed to life long learning would take me so quickly to where I am now. But I’m glad it has because I’m buzzing with ideas and possibilities!

And now, these made me chuckle:
Classroom howlers:
‘Most of the houses in France are made of plaster of Paris.’
‘The Pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.’ (Pyrenees!)
‘Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark.’

Accident insurance claim form comments:
‘I collided with a stationary truck coming the other way.’
‘Going to work at 7.00am this morning I drove out of my drive straight into a bus. The bus was five minutes early!’
‘Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I didn’t have.’

Not able to meet as a church, self-isolation … it might be all new to many of us. But not to others in other parts of the world. And at a time when the news is practically all about Coronvirus in the UK, it’s good to see something of the bigger picture. I invite you to click this link to Open Doors
https://www.opendoorsuk.org/resources/church-at-home/

And in other news … We have just heard that Helen’s CT Scan is scheduled for 7 May (in Exeter) with a follow-up consultation (by phone) on the 13th

And something to chuckle over … Quiz show answers:
Greg James: Name a vegetable beginning with ‘O’
Contestant: Obergine (BBC Radio 1)

Chris Searle: In which European country is Mount Etna?
Contestant: Japan
Chris Searle: I did say European country. I can let you try again.
Contestant: Er … Mexico? (BBC Radio Bristol)

Presenter: What was Hitler’s first name?
Contestant: Heil (BBC Radio Merseyside)

Evidence suggests that significantly more people are logging in to online worship services than would usually worship within church buildings (online platforms are useful for recording numbers of those watching). And faced with issues of life and death raised by the current crisis, opportunities (both online and off) to point to the hope that we have through the death and resurrection of our Lord have increased. It is in this context that I ask the question, ‘Have you tried praying?’, or more accurately, have you tried Try Praying?

TryPraying is something that I’ve used for the past few years to encourage others to explore the possibility that God can be real in their lives. Can I encourage you to explore what it’s all about by inviting you to visit the following two websites? And then give it a go by encouraging a friend, a family member or a total stranger to Try Praying?
www.thereishope.co.uk
www.trypraying.co.uk

In other news: Helen had a telephone appointment with her oncologist yesterday (Wednesday). Her blood test results were all fine, though her immunity remains significantly compromised. Having said that she is feeling really well in herself, which is great! Later this month (we’re waiting for the date) she’ll need to have a scan to assess how effective the treatment has been. Thank you for your continuing prayers!

And finally, these answers from school tests and exams made me chuckle:
Q: Explain germination. A: To germinate is to become a naturalised German.
Q: Name the four seasons. A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.
Q: What is a seizure? A: A Roman Emperor.
Q: What is a planet? A: A planet is a body of earth surrounded by sky.

I’ve just finished reading two books, one much longer than the other. The shorter one is a very recent publication with the title ‘Where is God in a Coronvirus World?’. Its author John Lennox is an Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science at Green Templeton College. But don’t worry you don’t need to be good at maths in order to benefit from reading his book. I found it helpful – you can learn about it by clicking here

https://www.thegoodbook.co.uk/where-is-god-in-a-coronavirus-world

The second book is much more substantial and is not a light or easy read. ‘Walking with God through Pain and Suffering’ by Timothy Keller engages both the mind and the emotions. In terms of understanding the world in which I live and understanding what the Bible says about pain and suffering, I would rate is as a five-star book, i.e. excellent. What marks this book out as different (at least for me) is that it is not just written by a theologian and biblical scholar but by a pastor. It includes real life stories at the end of most of its chapters that illustrate what the author has been getting at. Many of these stories reduced me to tears and made me not want to read any more. But I knew I had to. To find out more …

https://timothykeller.com/books/walking-with-god-through-pain-and-suffering

Here’s something that made me chuckle – actual answers from school tests and exams:

“A giraffe needs a long neck because its head is so far away from its body.”

Q: Name six animals that live specifically in the Arctic
A: Two seals, four polar bears.

“Gravity was discovered by Isaac Walton. It is chiefly noticeable in the Autumn, when the apples are falling off the trees.”

Happy Bank Holiday!

Saturday of Holy Week was, of course, the Sabbath, which on this occasion was something of a vacuum, a ‘nothing day’ that kept Friday and Sunday apart. Nothing much happening, nothing to be done. It was a day throughout which heaven and earth held its breath. A day of wait and see …

Waiting can be hard, especially in our culture of instant gratification. (Many of us, of course, are waiting to be able to go out again!) And if you’re a bit of an activist, waiting while nothing appears to be happening and nobody has a plan is even harder. It seems to me that such ‘Saturdays’ are part and parcel of our discipleship, days stationed between promise and fulfilment. We can get impatient and even begin to doubt the promise, but let’s not do that. They are days in which faith can flourish.

Here’s a Scripture for our ‘Saturdays’ – Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

The whole Psalm is worth a read, with one other verse striking me as being particularly poignant as we think of our Lord’s body waiting in the tomb (I’m going to leave you to guess which one!).

What are you waiting for God to do? What promise awaits fulfilment?
Ask for the strength and resolve to wait patiently and faithfully. Sunday’s coming!

It has been said that greatness, in Christian terms, is not measured by how many people are serving you but by how many you yourself are serving.

Jesus astonished his disciples when he disrobed and washed their feet (John 13:1-17). This was a menial task for a low-ranking servant. But Jesus knew his place: “He had come from God and was returning to God.” God takes delight in humbly serving his people and has done so supremely in and through Jesus, the Son of Man, who came not to be serve but to serve and give his life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Jesus could not have stooped any lower than the cross in order to serve us. Wow, what a Saviour!

If you’re feeling musical, why not sing to yourself Graham Kendrick’s ‘The servant King’?

Created, and now being re-created in the image of God, we are called to serve one another. On that Thursday, for the disciples in their day and culture, it was through the washing of one another’s feet. For us it’ll be different, but putting into practice the call to ‘love one another’, the New Testament gives us lots of ideas about how to do it – I’ve compiled a list which you can access here:

Of these ‘one anothers’ which will you take up and act on today?

By the way, ‘maundy’ comes, from the Latin “mandatum”, meaning command or mandate. It is linked especially with John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Mark 11:12 refers to the day following Palm Sunday while 11:20 refers to what we would call Tuesday. At 14:1, the Feast of Unleavened Bread is two days away, so it’s still Tuesday. The next time reference is 14:12 with the first day of the Feast which is Thursday (Maundy Thursday). So what happened on Wednesday?

Strictly speaking, the answer is that nobody knows. But given that Jesus had a habit of seeking solitude whenever life and ministry was stressful, it has been suggested that Jesus took Wednesday as a day out, a day away from the crowds, perhaps what we might call ‘me time’? I find the suggestion highly plausible.

If so, was it a wasted day? Surely, with time running out, there was so much more he could have taught, or miracles to perform to the glory of God? I believe that Jesus needed to spend time with his heavenly Father. And that is never a waste of time!

I for one know the temptation when life and ministry is busy to cut short my devotional time (= Confessions of a Minister). The title of a book by Bill Hybels springs to mind: Too Busy Not To Pray. I’m also aware that in these days of Lockdown life for some is even busier and more challenging than it was before, especially if there are children at home and they have to work from home and grandparents can’t help … you get the picture. Others however, have more time on their hands because they’ve been furloughed. Perhaps the latter could spend a bit of extra time in prayer, praying especially for those who now find themselves struggling to find the time? That will go some way towards carrying “each other’s burdens” and so fulfil “the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). If that’s you, why not message someone and tell them you are making time to pray for them? That doesn’t mean, however, that if you are in the busy, busy category that you can forget about Bible reading and prayer. Just as Jesus seems to have made time for prayer in the most hectic and stressful of weeks, why not schedule some ‘me and God’ time, even if it means you have to lock yourself in the bathroom for a few minutes!

Does anyone have any practical suggestions to share from their own experience?