July 22, 2011
THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY!
MIND GAMES # 1
In today’s world of Xbox, Wii games and even so called “mind improvement” and “brain exercise” programs for our computers, Ipads or smart phones…the title “Mind Games” should not surprise us. Our minds are used to ‘games’ and the ‘fun’ that they can provide, not to mention the time that they can occupy while we wait for the kettle to boil, the microwave to cook our dinner, or the operator to put us through to the right extension…
But are we the only ones who play games with our minds…I mean, am I the only one who can ‘mess with my head’ or ‘play around’ with the thought processes and decision making that we all daily go through, or are there ‘external’ things that can influence, persuade and impress us so that our emotions and mental health are affected one way or the other?
Maybe you have experienced a particular ‘trigger’ in your own life that has set off a reaction or revived a particular vivid memory…and, try as you might, your reaction to a situation right now is governed by what went on somewhere in your past. Freaky? Maybe not…In fact, it’s pretty common.
This is the world of ‘Emotional Quotient’ and its governing of our actions and reactions to life’s situations. It’s what our new series
“MIND GAMES” will be addressing in the next few weeks at Shirelive. We will also be checking out what the Bible has to say about those common maladies that affect not only the individual, but their families…such as our significance, identity and the ‘battlefield’ that is our minds! We’ll also talk about the depression and dis-eases of the emotions that affect whole families…and how to have hope in a sad world…
This Sunday…In launching the series Pastor Michael looks at “The State of Play” in “MINDSETS AND MINEFIELDS”… Join us, and let’s look together into what God has to say about the Mind Games people play……
May 24, 2011
I THINK I’M IN LOVE!
This morning I had an emotional moment, when I looked around the room at a great gathering of people who had come out on a cold, wintry morning at around 6:30am, in order to join together and pray for others. Ignoring the alternative of a comfortable bed, they came in their warm clothes, feet often clad in Ugg boots, hands thrust into pockets to keep out the cold, and minds steeled to do this .....but they came! They came with resolve, they came with determination, they came with enthusiasm…which tended to be hidden at first, but grew and became vocal as the meeting started and the presence of God was sensed.
There were the regulars, those who love a prayer gathering and will be there rain or shine! But there were the “new” ones who came for the first time too: perhaps because of a need, perhaps because they felt they needed to ‘up’ their involvement…who knows? There were the young, newly married couples, praying for their neighbours and friends and their church family. There were the pastors and leaders who care and lead whenever it’s convenient or otherwise. There were the singles who were determinedly pressing in for more of Jesus.
Now this may seem absolutely unrelated to what I have just said, but….I have a pet budgie in my kitchen! When I let her out of her cage to fly around the house (yes, I do struggle with the guilt!) she mostly loves to sit on the pedal of our garbage bin in the corner…why? Well, it’s a stainless steel container and she can sit on the floor pedal and talk to the “bird” in the mirrored image that stares out at her when she gets close! She tweets and chats (very social media savvy is our bird) and carries on until disturbed and distracted by the ‘latest shiny object’ that catches her attention, but almost always seems to return to the comfortable position of loving that ‘other bird’!
You may smile, but often I catch myself doing a similar thing….fascinated by ‘me’, I can become involved in everything that is about me and us…. but it’s not really what we as the church are meant to be doing, is it? Jesus asked us to make disciples, and then to teach them and help them grow. Teach them to live a different life, teach them to care about others, teach them to pray. There is nothing more impacting in the Christian life than prayer. Prayer for others, not just me and my situation….
We will be praying on Tues, Wed and Thurs between 23rd May and 9th June. And in our homes and out walking on Mon and Friday each of those weeks.
If you can’t be there…join with us and pray anyway!
Jesus is waiting to hear from you.
As for me, I really think that today I have fallen in love with His church again!
Much love
Valery and Michael.
May 10, 2011
EARTH TO JESUS!
I was sitting next to a very nervous friend the other day on a plane, and as we came in to land, I was chatting with her and trying to help her to deal with her fear of flying and to overcome it. But it’s not so easy, is it?
Did you know that over 3 million people fly in aeroplanes around the world every day? And it’s quoted that a Boeing aircraft takes off somewhere in the world every two seconds! That’s a lot of people, that’s a lot of flying!
I would say that the fear of flying is not actually about the safety aspects or the statistical evidence ... bearing in mind that flying is so much less dangerous than driving on, or even crossing, our roads today!
But that’s not what a person with this dreadful ‘fear of flying’ wants to hear, or even will consider….
Because the fear of flying is actually about the loss of control! We are not safely on ‘terra firma’ with our feet on the ground, able to control what happens to us…and it’s just too weird and frightening for some!
As I chatted to my friend, she put her back to the plane’s window, afraid to even look out and see the wonderful view, the incredible sight of a helicopter flying in adjacent to us…she was missing so much! She began to talk faster and faster, as if trying to get control of her thoughts and fill in the time between the plane’s landing gear being extended down in preparation for our landing, and this frightening interlude and this inexplicable fear that gripped her….
If my friend could have just seen the activity and expertise that was currently taking place in the cockpit of the plane, perhaps she would have had more confidence! Pilot and co-pilot superbly guided our craft with experienced, knowledgeable and practiced hands. They didn’t miss a beat on their ‘checklist’ as they, confidently and brilliantly, guided their precious passengers and cargo to yet another smooth alignment with the earth, setting our plane down both smoothly and precisely on time. And I couldn’t help but think….perhaps this is a bit like a part of my life…prayer!
How so? Well, when I pray, it’s sometimes like ‘letting go’ of a part of my life…it’s a placing of my life and its circumstances and experiences into the hands of God! Is He capable, is He able, is He wanting…to help me to live my life? Or can I do it on my own and through my own efforts, in a much better way?
Next time I pray, I will remember that my God is like a combination of expert pilot, brilliant navigator and loving guide…and that He knows the path and the guidance that is needed, and will indeed set my ‘flight plan’ according to His plan rather than my own fearful, earth-bound wanderings and desires, that seem often to get me where I never even meant to go! And perhaps I will release the fear that I have of losing ‘control’ of my life, and exchange it for His greater knowledge and help.
Ahh, sit back, relax, and look forward to another great landing.
Earth to Jesus…thanks a million!
