Time to Talk

Phew, what a weekend! It was great to see the Church packed with people yesterday morning, at one point I think it was standing room only at the back! Once again, we were committed to praying for all those in pain, moved and motivated by the compassion of God. It was a powerful time. I loved hearing the many testimonies from people and Jaqui Steer did an outstanding talk that was thirty minutes of pure gold! Well done Jaqui - it takes a lot of nerve to get up in front of a packed church and speak. This week is going to be another full-on 7 days as we build up to the Youth weekend away which kicks off on Friday (more about that in a later blog entry) and Rin starts her new job here as BCC Office Manager and PA to Pastor John. As Jaqui said yesterday, walking with God is an adventure!

I dipped into another episode of 'Skins' last week and was going to turn it off at one point but was intrigued by something which really caught my attention: the programme was forcing its viewers to consider to whom they turn for help. One of the main characters was struggling with a serious metal health issue and it centred around her boyfriend (Freddie) who was trying to get advice and support, with varying degrees of success. He talked to a member of staff at school who then 'doubled up' as the School Counsellor (completely unethical by the way!), he talked to a family member and some friends too.

Society offers many different options for those who 'want to talk'. There are helplines galore, a plethora of 'Experts' all willing to offer you their advice on any given subject, support workers, charities and the more traditional forms of support from family and friends. I am a Counsellor and people come and tell me some of the most intimate details of our lives. Yet for the Christian, we have access to Someone Who can change things for the better. God can provide us with counsel quite unlike anyone and anything else. My study of the Psalms continues to illuminate my understanding of the very real help offered by God to those who find themselves in the worst possible scenarios. Psalm 19:7-9 (The Message) says,

"The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God's reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree."

When we turn to Him, this is what we access in our lives. For those of us who follow God, we need to ensure that we carry His counsel (as described in the above Psalm) into the lives of others. Sympathy, platitudes, well meaning advice and blind optimism a re all well and good buy it is God's revelation that makes a difference.