"How are you?"....."Fine thanks!"

Ephesians 4:25 says:

"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully 

to your neighbour, for we are all members of one body."

In the communities of faith that we belong to, how often do we put on a mask to hide our truth feelings or emotions? How often do we say one thing and mean another. In His word, God tells us that we are all a part of one body, one unit working towards His kingdom goals. He tells us that we need not pretend to be someone we are not, or that we are not wrestling with whatever we find ourselves up against. 

If we truly treated these communities as a body, would we act differently?

A broken foot does not hide its brokenness from the eyes or the hand, rather, when they are aware of what is happening, the other parts of the body come to the aid of the part that is not working as it should or could be. 

There is something terribly wrong with our communities when we feel like we have to put on a brave face when stepping through the doors of church on a Sunday morning. We are missing out on something wonderful when, in our communities  we fail to truly be ourselves, as they prompt and even encourage us to smile and explain our problems away. 

May the churches and communities where we gather together under God's name be places where we can be honest with ourselves and with each other, recognising that to fail to do this is to miss one of the greatest gifts God gives to us.

May we put off falsehood, and speak truthfully to those who have been entrusted with our care, as we are entrusted with theirs.

And may we have bucketloads of grace for one another, because although we worship a God who has covered us in it, who's supply is limitless and unending, it seems to be the one thing that we in our communities always seem to run out of for eachother.

Under the surface.

My garden is springing to life. Peas, lettuce, carrots, sunflowers, basil, spring onions, all are showing signs of life, throwing up those vital first shoots and leaves, vying for the maximum amount of sunshine they can soak up.

Yet, sitting on my windowsill is something else. Something a little more special, yet it refuses to show anything. Even though it's been in the soil for longer than anything else and gets that little bit of extra special attention. Every morning I wake up and peer over the ledge of the pot hoping that this will be the morning that first shoot appears, and every day I am disappointed.

I'm so tempted to dig in a little, to push the top soil aside to make sure something is happening down there, but I don't want to do anything to harm what fragile life might be wakening below the surface.

It reminds me a little of what ministry can sometimes feel like. We can water and tend and watch with baited breath, hoping that there is something happening below the surface, when it looks like nothing is changing we search for signs of any difference and sit back down disappointed. Ministry, like this plant, can be a waiting game, trusting that there is more going on under the surface than meets the eye. Choosing to believe that even though we can't see what's happening there is something brewing into life below the surface of the faces we interact with day in day out. 

It can be frustrating to give and give and give, to continue feeding and watering when it feels like there is no difference. But just like this plant, I trust that this waiting room period is a time when roots are being put down, when the vital work of setting the foundations is happening. 

One of these mornings I'll wake up, and there'll be something different in that plant pot. And as we keep at it in ministry, plugging away at the everyday, I trust that in the same way there'll be a day when we see something happening on the outside of the lives that we see week in, week out, when we realise that all that time, nurturing and encouraging was all for a reason, as we see the spark of God's life starting to bloom in the lives of His people.

Berlin

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Berlin with the Church of Ireland Youth Department for the annual youth workers retreat. I'd never been to Berlin before so jumped at the chance.

We had an idyllic three days in Berlin, learning from and sharing with one another about faith and the work we are each involved in. I left feeling encouraged, reinvigorated and ready to keep at it.

Alongside that, there was plenty of down time to enjoy each other's company and explore the city that this years retreat found us in. 

The Brandenburg Gate 

 Pillars at The Brandenburg Gate 

"Work sets you free" - Words welded to the gates at Sachsenhausen concentration camp that we had the privilege to visit.

We rented bikes for an afternoon to explore the city. There's no turning back for me...this is the only way to explore a city! 

The Berlin Cathedral. An incredible building!

So thankful for the opportunity to spend a few days in great company and a great city exploring both it and my calling to where I am and what I'm doing.