I am pleased to say that this weekend has been a wonderful one.... for the first time in a long time I was able to spend a Saturday at home, this has meant being able to catch up with bits and pieces that are neglected in the rush of living. Tim and I cleared the garden of leaves (pics below) and did some serious pruning work on the shrubs and bushes that border the garden, it was good to be outside doing something practical!
I also managed to catch up on laundry, which was a major achievement following the broken washing machine saga of last week!
On Saturday evening we watched a film and shared a bottle of wine, an evening together is a rare thing these days!
These things may seem trivial and unimportant but they are not, they are an essential part of life, of who we are, and I believe God is interested in the small stuff and the practicalities!
Sunday and I headed for Woodbridge to lead a workshop and take part in the Mind Body and Spirit Exhibition there.
It was a good day- no problems with the stall at all- I was beginning to wonder if there was a huge flaw in my teaching- but if the Woodbridge folk are anything to go by the answer is no- for they had grasped the whole ethos and practise of Journey Into Wholeness and engaged well not only with those visiting the Exhibition but also with the other stall holders.
The stand itself was simple and quite stunning- they'd incorporated elements of earth, water, wind and fire using a cross made of twigs, branches, and woven ivy, and a beautiful metal bowl filled with water and floating candles. Three of the other stall holders felt "drawn " to stand in front of this display, and remarked how powerful the energies were around our stall, The Woodbridge group weren't phased by this and offered prayers of blessing! One of our fellow exhibitors stopped me in the afternoon as I was taking a wander around the exhibition to ask how we channelled the Spirit... a very interesting conversation about prayer flowed from that!
The workshop was a shock for me as I'd felt more and more convinced through the previous week that I should simply tell my story of faith and allow time for questions afterwards. I don't normally do this and was more than a little concerned about it, but many prayers later I couldn't shake the conviction and decided that obeying the Holy Spirit was probably a smart move!
It was one of those occasions where I astonished myself about the depth of vulnerability I was allowing- but God was with us, and it was right, I allowed time for questions at the end and offered prayer for any who wanted it. Several hard questions later and a number of people stayed and shared deep wounds and problems. We prayed for them and offered further opportunities for prayer and healing ministry at the stall because we almost over ran our time in the workshop venue.
One lady came and spoke of travelling from exhibition to exhibition looking for something- her daughter had died in a tragic accident and she was seeking peace.
Another visitor to the stand had come following a visit to the Church that morning, her story is an interesting and challenging one- she had gone to church following the directions of the "spirit"- she is a mix of Eastern Orthodox ( background) and spiritualism, she spoke of the desire to be on the right path, and it became clear through the course of our conversation that she was listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit, being slowly guided away from occult practises and towards Christian healing. Her beliefs and experiences were a muddle but based in the Scriptures and in the traditions of the Eastern Church. We spoke and for a long time and finished in prayer together. It would have been so easy to criticise and condemn rather than to affirm and encourage....
... I am more and more convinced that God moves ahead of us and that our task is to recognise where she is working and to join in, to reveal truth amongst the mess and muddle, just as God works through and within the mess and muddle that calls itself church!
I believe it is time to take the "concept" of Missio Dei seriously- the Missio Dei or mission of God. The concept is that mission is not a programme of the church but rather an attribute of God. Mission comes first from the heart of God and we are caught up in it rather than initiating it. Mission is primarily the work of God and we participate with God in what he is doing. If we truly believe this is the case them our task is to catch what is on Gods heart- to seek to see people as God sees them- as treasured and loved. When we enter into a dialogue our first task is to hear what God had already been saying and to call that forth.
Mission becomes not something we do to promote God but rather an activity of God that we participate in , in some ways mission becomes prayer.
I found it deeply humbling to simply tell my story this weekend, and was touched deeply at how that story telling impacted other people. I am also challenged for it reminded me how God has been with me through the hard times, how often she has brought me comfort and strength and peace when I have most needed it. I was reminded of prayers answered and difficulties overcome, and of the importance of incarnational ministry- simply being amongst the people- sharing hurts and pains not as an expert but as a fellow traveller.
God is with us, by her spirit, revealed in our lives all the more as we drop our masks and continue the journey as ourselves...
Karen and Dave with the Woodbridge stall- they were stars!
