Save Water

Looking at statistics on Water Aid's website about 1/10 of the world's population don't have access to clean water. 1/3 don't have access to proper sanitation.
With how easy it is for us to turn on a tap I find it so easy to forget what a relatively new thing it is to have fresh, clean water piped to my own home. With daily showers and endless glasses of water or cups of tea we can't imagine our lives without that choice.
At work I wash my hands before and after every action I perform- I dread to think how many times per shift, and how many litres of water I use each day- but this simple precaution is the single most important infection control measure I can take.
Simple hand washing has dramatically reduced the spread of certain infections in countries that have adequate facilities and water supplies. Yet the cholera outbreak in Haiti has shown how quickly disease can spread when these facilities are compromised.
I haven't been able to complete today's task- using washing up water to water plants- as my mum did the washing up when I was at work and Mike had already watered the seedlings before I got home. The fact that we have other options (we don't save water out of necessity, just out of good citizenship) is such a blessing and today's instruction to 'Save Water' is a reminder of how unbelievably lucky I am.

Water Aid Statistics

Think of others more

I sort of messed up on today's task by having a selfish day by default. We were supposed to do a job someone else usually does.
It was Mother's Day- yes I know that's tomorrow, but it was my Mother's Day, as inevitably I always end up working on Mothering Sunday.
I had planned on doing the washing as it's a job my mum always does, and I did get as far as putting the washing in the machine and switching it on! Half a job done.
The kids fed the dog, and Mike filled up my fuel tank, tyres and oil.
I'm not always good at thinking about the people around me- I can really take them for granted- but I love them, and I really appreciate them, even if I'm not very good at showing it.

Have more fun

Blog delay until this morning- I was far too busy having fun!
This task marked our second St Michael's coordinated LLLL attack- we decided to meet up for boardgames and nibbles in our parish room. So, ok, that's not everyone's idea of fun, but it's our idea of fun and I for one had a lovely time.
There was Junior Monopoly, Creationary, Ticket to Ride (new to me but recommended) interspersed with pizza, nibbles and ice cream.
I didn't let the fun stop when I got home either! Usually we have to watch DVDs by committee but the kids went to bed and Mike had work to do so the dog and I curled up with The Great Gatsby.
Fun and fellowship are incredibly important- who would want to be part of a religion that takes itself too seriously? Or doesn't try and foster a sense of community? Of course there are things which must be solemn and sacred but good humour gives you perspective, and is one of God's greatest gifts.

Be more peaceful

don't know if you're like me, but if you are then taking a bit of time for peace or relaxation is one of the greatest luxuries you can experience. Sitting without doing something is rare- I don't even really watch TV, although with the F1 season having started and Games of Thrones back on next week that will change.
I love music but it's something I listen to whilst on the go- in the shower, doing chores, cooking- listening to relax is a rarity.
For today's task I made a playlist with enough relaxing pieces of music to get me to college and back. When I was parked outside college I played one track I'd singled out as my 'relaxing music'. The result was my being even more docile than usual in class- things were going over my head but I was too chilled out to care!
On my retreat last weekend I set time aside to relax and be peaceful, and used music to help. I do find that when I've given myself permission to relax I find it quite easy- and it's amazing once you've found that peace how open and receptive you are to hearing God's voice.

Be a better neighbour

Saying "hi" to a neighbour is more tricky than it might sound- I hardly ever bump into anyone as my road is pretty quiet. I went out at 8.30 this morning and returned at 9.45 this evening, not leaving much opportunity to be neighbourly.

A sermon I think I've heard preached many times is "who are our Neighbours?" In response to Jesus' request that whoever they are, we love them. Deciding that my neighbours were those with whom I shared my little corners of the world I made an effort to be more sociable in the school playground this morning. I went straight to work from there, where I hope I'm almost always neighbourly- trying to live in harmony with my colleagues!

The word 'neighbour' only ever brings one picture to my mind- The neighbourhood song on Sesame Street, the place where I can first remember hearing the word. That got me thinking about the Sesame Street muppets. They all have very distinct personalities, with very definite flaws. But we love them despite these flaws, in fact they are often used as part of the teaching in each episode.
My point here is that we all have our flaws, and we often are really quick to notice the flaws in the 'neighbours' we share the different areas of our lives with. The key to being a good neighbour might be to accept each others flaws and differences and embrace how interesting and diverse we all are!

Be More Open

I didn't think I was going to meet today's challenge of trying something new, but I did a couple of things out of the ordinary. The children both had new- and very positive- experiences too. Faith was involved in leading an assembly- she enjoyed it and it went well. Jacob was very excited to tell me he played a more difficult form of none-stop-cricket, which he thought fantastic! 

My new experience came courtesy of Lady Day, or the feast of the Annunciation as it's probably better known, which is today. This feast (9 months before Christmas...) celebrates the angel visiting Mary to inform her she'll be the mother of God incarnate. Quite a big deal. 

Each year in our area a different church hosts a service which members of the local branches of Mother's Union attend. This year it was our turn to be hosts and I was asked to preach. This was my first time preaching in the evening, and also to people from outside our own congregation. Thankfully my sermon was well received- and I felt like I'd crossed another hurdle in my training. I'm included my sermon transcript below.

As my mum is here this evening she may possibly be able to confirm that I’m not the most obedient of daughters. She did try to ground me once and I think my reply was “don’t be silly”- sorry mum. Whenever I’m told I ‘must’ do something, something clicks in my brain and I am compelled to become rather contrary. This might explain, in stark contrast to Mary’s response, why it took me nearly ten years of hearing God’s call to train for ministry before I did anything about it.

Or did my delay have more to do with not feeling worthy? I would hear the clergy preach here each week and I knew preaching was something I’d never be capable of- you might think I was right by the end of my sermon.

How many of us have felt unworthy at one time or another? Maybe we were given some praise we felt wasn’t deserved, or maybe we avoided something because we didn’t think we were good enough, or suffered a disappointment that we put down to being “not worthy”.

The way our society can often ascribe worth- by material wealth, where we were born, our outward appearance or our intellect, can leave us feeling like we’re falling short of the mark in so many areas of our lives.

I find for myself there are also the stereotypes of how a woman, wife and mother should behave, the skills I should have and the things I ought to be interested in. Whether or not we meet these expectations can account for the worth others ascribe to us or we ascribe to ourselves. In my work as a nurse the smallest mistake can leave you with a feeling of worthlessness.

The word worship is taken from old English meaning to ascribe worth to something, and people can often be said to worship money, fame, footballers, actors or themselves. The things and people we ascribe worth to are not always the things which are necessarily deserving of it.

So where does this leave us as Christians? For us the word worthy we can sometimes read as meaning the same as ‘holy’, although that might mean that not one of us would ever feel we were worthy! We strive to be worthy of God’s grace, and to live up to Jesus’ example of a sin free life- something we can never achieve.

Something we feel certain of is that Mary was worthy to be the mother of Jesus- chosen by God, spoken to by angels, gifted with the Holy Spirit. What can we learn of worth from Mary? What made her worthy?

In the reading from Luke there are few clues. We know she was a virgin, and engaged to be married, so we might assume she was chaste. The angel tells her she is ‘favoured’ and her reaction might be described as modest and eventual response to God’s plan obedient:

“let it be with me according to your word”.

The angel tells her not to be scared, that she has found favour with God. But other than her perceived chastity, modesty and obedience- what sets Mary aside from all the other chaste, modest and obedient young women of her age? Why her?

Are there clues in other women God chose for a purpose? What about the other Mary- Mary Magdalene- chosen to witness the risen Jesus, and about whom so much is assumed? The only quality we presume her to share with Jesus’ mother is her uttermost devotion to Jesus.

What about examples from the Old Testament? Deborah was the only female judge- doing so for 40 years- so would have needed to be a very strong character- the lengths she was prepared to go to were shown when she murdered Sisera with a tent peg, after tricking him into trusting her.

Of course my illustrations are chosen to demonstrate that God doesn’t only have use for pure or demure women- which is how most of us would picture Mary.

From what we know of God I think we can only make one assumption about Mary- God didn’t choose here because she was worthy, She was worthy because God chose her. This is God’s grace in action.

I at no point before putting myself forward to be trained for the priesthood thought “I’m worthy of this” – but I heard God’s call and for whatever reason he wanted me. I had a choice whether or not I was going to be obedient to that call, and against my nature I eventually was.

We all have a place in God’s plan. He calls to each of us. It may not be a priestly calling, God calls us in every way imaginable, but whatever it is do not think that you are not worthy to be chosen by him. The fact that he has called you, chosen you, makes you worthy. His grace is a freely given gift to anyone upon whom he wishes to bestow it.

Of course believing this removes an obstacle, or excuse, and we then must decide if we will be obedient, like Mary, when we discern what God wants of us.

I’d like to repeat part of the reading with some of the words missing:

“Favoured one, the Lord is with you…do not be afraid…for you have found favour with God”.

Take care of your home

Big failure today- didn't even attempt to tidy a room, and this is one major area in which I need to improve!
I'm a terrible housekeeper, and my husband is even worse. Throw two kids and a dog into the mix and it results in one really messy household- and things have only got worse since I started training.
The kids seemed to have done better than I did- tidying up their rooms. I took the decision that I needed to spend my spare time today finishing my essay. Which I think I have...I hope.

Keep in touch more

The lack of blog last night was down to me attending a vigil in the monastery- after that I was all thoughtful and decided not to write until this morning.
I pretty much failed yesterday's task, which was to phone someone you hadn't spoken to in a while. I was hoping to find time to phone my brother, as my beautiful niece is baptised today and my being on retreat (strictly non-optional even though it's not a teaching weekend), means I can't be there- but it was difficult to find appropriate space and place to do it. I did text him. Not really the same.
Being away has given me time with my thoughts and with God. The weekend has been themed around five of Seiger Koda's paintings depicting moments from Peter's life. The two questions which have been on my mind from our discussions are "what am I afraid of?" and "what is my worth?"

Do something different

I have survived what is possibly one of the most challenging days on LLLL- the screen free day.
The morning was pretty difficult- home alone preparing to go on retreat. Not watching TV is pretty easy for me because unless there's formula one practice on, or a major developing news story, it doesn't go on during the day. Keeping away from my laptop was a bigger challenge as I was tempted to watch a bit more of a series I'd been watching whilst eating my breakfast and lunch. Consequently I ate in in different room- far away from temption- and finished my audio book.
It's amazing how often I just casually Google something- the inability to do this was really frustrating. I've forgotten half the things I wanted to check out, or status updates I wanted to post to Facebook or Twitter.
The late afternoon was easier as I went to pick up a fellow ordinand and spent nearly two hours, on what should have been a 40 minute journey, travelling to Mirfield monastery for my retreat. Once here the need for technology melted away- probably a good thing as on the journey James the sat nav lead us a merry dance and then conked out completely.
Saying that when I awoke with the cock's crow at 5.10 this morning as couldn't wait to grab my phone!
Having only spoken to them briefly last night I'm curious how the kid's coped with the challenge! I spent my free time yesterday colouring in a meditation on stillness. Stillness and silence are greatly encouraged on retreat as a way of letting God in without the clutter of our modern lives getting in the way.
The monastery itself is beautiful- I can't wait to explore it more and I'll hopefully get some photos. I'm a suckered for monks and brother Dennis, our host yesterday evening, is an utter delight. During the worship I've experienced so far I've just let the beauty of the plain song wash over me- it is odd to observe rather then participate in worship, but I would simply sound like a honking goose next to the community here, and you feel so close to holiness in the monastery it's simply enough to let it wash over you.

Make your local area cleaner

The execution of today's task was my favourite LLLL moment so far because it involved a real sense of community.
It was litter pick day, which felt like the perfect way to get together with some of the other St Michaels team members. We sent the word round to meet outside church after the school pick up at 3.30 and clean up the lay by outside church.
You may have noticed that today's weather was at times a bit biblical and I have to say that as I drove to school I was not relishing the prospect of foraging in nettles in the cold and wet. My kids didn't look overly impressed when I picked them up and reminded them of our task but as we all met outside church- five adults and 13 children- within half an our we'd filled a wheelie bin from litter found on this short stretch of road! We were also really rather soggy.
I think the kids really rather enjoyed it in the end and with very little effort really we've made a difference to our environment- a chap parking up in the lay by even joined us for a moment! I feel really strongly about us being stewards of the earth- we should take that responsibility seriously and take care of this beautiful gift of creation.

Genesis 2.15: The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it.

Tomorrow is the biggie- screen free day! That means no social media and no blog until Saturday morning. As I'm going on retreat it probably won't be so bad- I just really hope I have a signal to blog on Saturday!!

Be More Generous

I must admit I don't feel very generous today. I feel tired, run down and thoroughly worn out. I have an essay to finish, sermon to write and Lent breakfast to lead. Then I have a retreat to go on where I'm supposed to put all this out of my mind, and because of that I can't attend my nieces baptism this weekend.
I worked a 14 hour day today and thought I'd completely fail today's task- until I remembered that I'd randomly bought a present for my husband, for no reason, which never happens (it's a Qwertee t-shirt).
I've mentioned before in my blog that my husband gets a raw deal when it comes to my time and affection, so it felt good to buy him something for no reason, with no purpose other than for him to feel a little more appreciated. The upside of this was I felt better because I'd done something lovely for someone- random acts of generosity definitely benefit to giver as well as the recipient. Doing good feels good!

2 corinthians 8:7

Now as you excel in everything...so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

Be More Friendly

Being friendly to someone new, as was today's task, is pretty easy to accomplish as there's lots of lovely new girls at work. The thing is, they're all so delightful it's impossible not to be friendly towards them! But reading some of my friends' Facebook updates today it's actually reasonably rare for a lot of people to be in a situation where they are with new people. 

Meeting new people can be terrifying, depending upon the circumstances but  the ways in which I meet new people mean it's usually they who are frightened. This isn't because I'm scary by the way!! It's because when I meet a new person it's usually a new patient- maybe even newly diagnosed, or the relative of a patient, or a new staff member as mentioned above.
The best thing I can do in any of these circumstances is just show a bit of understanding, patience and kindness.

Leviticus 19.18: but you shall love your neighbour as yourself

Be More Thankful

The task today was to thank God for our meals. The kids were really thankful for their cocopops this morning! I was a bit more of a failure than them as I kept forgetting until after I'd eaten.
When we sit down at the table all together we say a grace, but with the busyness of our lives this is a rare occurance. I'm at work four evenings a week and college on one so that leaves just two evenings to be together at home- one of which is swimming lesson night, after which our meal is usually very informal. This leaves just one potential evening for us all to sit at the table together.
After remembering to thank God for my food today I also prayed for the people who had been involved in producing, transporting and selling it. As I sipped my Earl Grey my thoughts remained on the tea pickers. Many earn as little as 12p an hour and there are strong links with the slave trade as girls are lured away from their low paid jobs by the empty promise of something better, or families who cannot afford to keep their children sell them.
I pray to God for a living wage for the tea pickers.

Notice the World Around You

Today was one of those days that reminds me why I love my job. It was just the right sort of busy, I achieved my objectives, there were teaching opportunities for staff and patients- I felt like a good leader and a good nurse. Sadly with working a 14 hour day it gave little opportunity to enjoy the world around me, so I had to try in my own small way.
I was a little rushed when leaving the house (the grand prix qualifying was on the radio!) But it was lovely to step out into the cool morning air- and daylight. My first 7am daylight drive of the year. My walk from the car to the hospital was short and I took little notice of things, I have to admit. I promised myself I would pay extra attention when I left work.

I left though a door I don't usually use but it got me outside quicker. The air was cool and fresh, which is always welcome after a long day. Sadly the area next to the door is filled with building materials and the path is narrow, running between parts of the building. About half way down the path is a shrub and I could make out pale blossoms even in the dark. At the end of the path is a mature tree, covered in tiny buds. Stepping out onto Pallatine Road it's always lovely to look up at the huge mature trees which line it. I turned towards where my car was parked and spotted an older man, muttering to himself, heading towards the hostel on the other side of the road. I admit I was apprehensive, but as I passed him him exclaimed "nice weather!", with a smile I replied "it could certainly be worse."
And with that I was at my car and headed home.

Psalm 92:4

For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy. 

Be More Grateful

Saying thank you and appreciating the people around us is a really easy thing to neglect. I feel like I'm always too busy to slow down and appreciate people for who they are or what they do- I'm not always that good at thanking God either.
Life moves at such a pace that opportunities to thank people can be missed, so having to make space to thank someone for no reason other than to let them know they are appreciated is a powerful and positive thing. They feel loved and you feel good- win!
The kids were adorable but lazy and said thank you to me. I said a special thank you to someone who has made the last six months of ordination training a joy when it could have been otherwise, but I'd also like to say thank you to everyone who reads my blog- especially if you actually enjoy it!!

Be More Curious

Today's task was a marvelous insight into the inner workings of my children's brain! The kid's version of LLLL differs slightly from the adult one and their task was to find out the answer to a question they had. Jacob wanted to know how many volcanos were in the Pacific Ring of Fire- geological questions are ALWAYS welcome- but Faith, always dramatic, wanted to know what would happen if all the animals disappeared off the earth.
I had to go to college tonight so I look forward to hearing in the morning if they got their answers!
My task was basically to let my mind wander, but most of my contemplations were around Ezekiel and the essay I'm writing! A bit of a task fail I guess, but I do find that with assignments, sermons, presentations and talks I have to really think around them and roll it around my mind before I commit anything to paper. This seems to work really well for me and the actual writing doesn't take very long if I spend enough time mulling it over.

Psalm 8.3-4:
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established; 
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

Be More Loving

Today we had to tell people we loved them- something very straightforward, or so you'd think. It's actually really hard to tell people (outside of your immediate family) you love them out of context and for what might appear to be no reason.
If we're too free with those words then they lose meaning- as with the sorrys we said last week. Yet it's so wonderful to be told you are loved- and know the person means it.
My kids have been bickering a lot this week. Not many things upset me more than this, but it did give the opportunity this morning for us to have a good chat about the love we share as a family, what that means for us all trying to live together happily and how to deal with someone who you love but is really irritating you!
I tried to explain that even when you love someone they can hurt your feelings, but there are gentle ways of discussing that without hurting each other more. I'm not entirely sure it will do any good, but it reminded me that I hadn't lost my temper with them in quite a while, and that can only be a good thing.

Ruth 1.16:
But Ruth said,
‘Do not press me to leave you
   or to turn back from following you!
Where you go, I will go;
   where you lodge, I will lodge;
your people shall be my people,
   and your God my God.

Care for the World

Today's task was nice and straightforward- turn off the lights in rooms you're not using. I'm pretty good at this so have been trying to think more widely about Stewardship.
I know not all Christians agree but I feel that as God made us stewards of the earth it's our duty to protect and preserve it- it doesn't belong to us, we're just taking care of it. As with anything entrusted to our care we should do our best to deserve the trust put in us.

Matthew 10.29: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.

Be More creative

Something that has greatly suffered since I began ordination training is my creative hobbies. I love the bake, crochet & make cards but there's very little time for any of it- so to have a day when I can do something creative feels very indulgent.
I didn't have much time with working so decided to complete a colouring meditation I began in January.
If you've never seen a colouring meditation it's usually some scripture, or religious image such as a cross or dove, presented in an artistic way that you can colour in and meditate upon. The one I chose was a Celtic Christian prayer:

"I bind my mind to the mind of the Creator God that I may worship completely.
I bind my body to the will of the Saviour Christ that I may serve freely.
I bind my spirit to the Holy Spirit my helper that I may love joyfully."

My son made a Lego model (same as every day!) but my daughter had a beautiful idea. She decided to make fimo models to represent the seeds she planted on Saturday growing.

I think that it's our ability to create things that makes us made in God's image, rather than a physical likeness (how many other species make things simply for beauty or enjoyment?), and that by creating, rather than destroying, we can find a deep spirituality.

Isaiah 44.24: Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth.

Enjoy Our World

The end of the first week has arrived really quickly. Today's task was to plant seeds- not really achievable from my hotel room! The kids planted their seeds with their dad, sent me photos and Skyped me so I could share their experiences.
My hotel is in the middle of a golf course and quite an artificial environment. I have tried in my own way to enjoy the world around me.
I ate breakfast overlooking the golf course and it was lovely to look at the early morning sky. I also took time to go outside and breathe the fresh air between the teaching sessions. There was a beautiful sunset on our way to evening prayer which unfortunately I didn't get chance to photograph.
There's beauty all around if you look for it.

I'm pretty exhausted from my week but a delightful highlight this evening was being flash-mobbed by the shortly to be ordained 3rd years during our evening meal to a bit of Footloose.

Genesis 1.31: God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.