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Post by revmichael on Dec 6, 2007 9:55:47 GMT
If my little patch is a bit of paradise...why do I have to work so hard on it? Because nothing of real value comes without effort. Personally I can't believe that heaven consists of just sitting on a cloud for all eternity - playing a harp! That isn't how the Bible describes paradise. I believe the Greek word means 'a garden' - but then you, Mel, would have a better understanding of the Greek language than me - or is Metaxa the only Greek word you know - apart from Oozo?
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Post by revmichael on Dec 5, 2007 17:50:31 GMT
My garden, though small and sometimes a little uncontrollable , is very important to me...it brings all kinds of feelings and emotions to me at different times of the year, but most of all it reminds me of my Mum and Dad who taught me so much about gardening. Whilst I was searching for a quote to do with patience I came across one from Gertrude Jekyll : "A garden is a grand teacher. It teaches patience and careful watchfulness; it teaches industry and thrift; above all it teaches entire trust. " Works for me ! I love the Gertrude quote Peek. Almost as much as I love the wonderful rose named after her. It's my favourite among so very many.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 5, 2007 11:39:36 GMT
I had a copy of the 'Perfumed Garden' once but I lost it or my Ma threw it away Perhaps she just pruned out the bad bits, and then found that there wasn't much left. Good old mums. They know what to do.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 5, 2007 9:34:53 GMT
Gardens are like people, they need to be tended and nurtured to keep them in good order. If left they become wild and dishevelled. There is beauty in both, but the tended garden is easier to enter and enjoy, while a wild garden may need you to hack back growth to enter. Young children need the same care, the tended ones grow up to be able to enter into society and take their place, while the ones who are left to run wild need, do not enter society so easily. (I hope you see where I am coming from) Back to the quote, 'The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden'. The World is one large garden, the mountains and lakes, the deserts and the seas, all come together to make it paradise, if you take your time to stop, look and enjoy. Stand on top of a mountain and your soul soars, dive into the sea and become immersed in refreshing joy. We need to tend and nurture the World, as we would our gardens, or we will be in danger of it becoming, wild an barren. The bit about, if you are not human, you don't have a soul, does that mean to say birds and animals don't have souls? Also, I thought if you didn't have a soul you were dead. (Woops I think I have rambled, ramble on I say, it keeps us going) Whether animals have souls is a deep theological question which we had better not try to solve here (theologians have been trying to unravel that one for many centuries). But you first point Shem is so important. It is called pruning. The point about pruning is that it encourages the plant to grow straight, firm and strong. To stop it getting flabby you have to feed it correctly, give it sufficient light and air, and then cut out all of unwanted bits to make it grow straight. You start by cutting out all of the dead bits (and you need to cut right down low to get rid of every part of the deadness). Then you need to shape it by curbing some of the wandering branches - and so on. If we have influence over children growing up shouldn't we use similar methods? Jesus, talking to his disciples, uses a similar theme. He wanted them to produce fruit - i.e. blessing. In John 15:1 he said, ' am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.'
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Post by revmichael on Dec 5, 2007 7:47:55 GMT
The many great gardens of the world, of literature and poetry, of painting and music, of religion and architecture, all make the point as clear as possible: The soul cannot thrive in the absence of a garden. If you don't want paradise, you are not human; and if you are not human, you don't have a soul.
(Thomas Moore)
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Post by revmichael on Dec 17, 2007 8:39:10 GMT
I heard it talked about, but didn't see it.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 12, 2007 22:43:20 GMT
So just when is it you leave us? How kind of you to worry about me Carl. In fact, God and BAA staff willing, we don't fly out until 28th Decermber, but - here's the very bad news - we'll be away for a whole month. Do you think you can manage without me? But, there is a faint glimmer of hope; my eldest son is on broadband and so I may be able to join you for a few days in early January. So, are you keeping your fingers crossed? (I don't believe in signs like that - but perhaps I can join you) Does that make you feel better about my absence?
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Post by revmichael on Dec 12, 2007 19:04:00 GMT
Stop being a Mucky Michael I thought Cowbors sang in a Corall Yes that's right Carl. I sing in the Bracknell Corall Society. We're having a round-up this evening in preparation for our Carol Concert next Wednesday.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 12, 2007 18:05:23 GMT
Please can we have a photo of you in your Girl Guide's uniform Lollie?
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Post by revmichael on Dec 4, 2007 9:34:16 GMT
Rabbi Julia Neuberger has just given a wonderful 'Pause for thought' on WWTW
She said that light coming into the darkness was not just at chanakh, Christmas or Divali but it was a reminder of all those who haven't got light - in prison or held captive in some other way
... but also we should remember those who are not as fortunate as we are who don't need to light candles to bring light into our homes; we should remember those who are too poor to have all the wonderful things that we enjoy.
Did anyone else hear her broadcast?
This was one of the best I've heard for a long time.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 5, 2007 11:45:45 GMT
There used to be a lady, who was very popular with the old folk called
Patience Strong
and I once met a very large West Indian nurse called
Patience.
There was not messing with her.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 4, 2007 22:14:36 GMT
A prayer goes:
Lord give me patience, but I want it now.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 4, 2007 8:12:55 GMT
Anyone who knows me will tell you that patience is not a big part of my make-up! (Though I am much better than I used to be ;D)
Learner drivers are one thing that I don't get upset by, though. I can still remember the feel of dread and horror seeing vehicles on my bumper when I was learning and I always give them lots of room (even when they panic and stall at traffic lights and only get the engine running again after the lights have gone back to red ) How I agree with you Ivy - but then you are a VERY agreeable person. PMR gets very impatient when she is driving - even when a learner driver is in front of her, but I always remember how scared I felt when I learned to drive. I remember my driving instructor telling me that he was caught one day behind a long line of cars at traffic lights. The leading car was a learner and immediately behind him (or could it have possibly been a her) was a police car. Every time the lights turned to green the driver stalled the engine. Some of the cars began hooting when this happened the second time. The policeman turned on his loudspeaker and pleaded for everyone to have patience because the driver in front was a learner. At that point the learner did NOT stall the engine and, determined to get across revved up and moved - right back into the front of the police car. Unfortuately --- --- the loudspeaker was still on and the policeman shouted,' Now look what the stupid ..... has done.'
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 19:45:38 GMT
"You must first have a lot of patience to learn to have patience. " This is so true, Peek. Sadly, you are right about the lack of patience today. Society has changed so much over the last few decades, and more for the worst rather than better. Is it the pace of today's life or have old fashioned values become just that, and it is more fashionable to be bad mannered? I hope like you, that, I am a reasonably patient person, but will endeavour to do better. PMR's mother used to quote: Patience is a virtue, Find it if you can Seldom in a woman, but never in a man. My MIL (Mark2) was lovely (but then was MIL Mark1) but I wonder if she was right in that.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 9:07:12 GMT
One learns through the heart, not the eyes or the intellect.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 10:14:49 GMT
He made a decent enough job of it I suppose but what on earth was he thinking of when he did the wasp? Preumably he wanted it to have a sting in the tail - to keep us all on our toes.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 8:11:41 GMT
"Unless you can create the WHOLE universe in 5 days, then perhaps giving "advice" to God, isn't such a good idea!" (Anon)
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Post by revmichael on Dec 4, 2007 8:06:10 GMT
This thread is throwing up all kinds of thoughts - and it's good that people feel able to 'let off steam too.'
The Christmas of 1975 looked as though it would be bleak for me. I was a single parent, working long hours in a factory and the children had gone to their mother's for the Christmas holidays. For a long time I had been buying small things for each of the four children (13 years down to 5 years) and when I wrapped them up I was near to tears because they seemed to make such a very small pile (and I knew their mother would lavish loads of money on them). I thought I would be spending Christmas day on my own, then I got home one evening and found a small parcel on my step. It was a food parcel from one of the local charities. The food items were very welcome but it was the thought that someone had remembered me that brought tears to my eyes. At the last minute a local family invited me to spend Christmas Day with them - and they even had a present on the Christmas Tree for me!
Even at dismal times a light can show through the gloom.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 15:28:59 GMT
I worked in Bradford for a firm where the senior partner was a Sikh, several other staff members were Muslim, and the rest were a broad mix of Anglicans, Catholics, Methodists and not-really-botheredists. We were all off between Christmas Day and January 2nd, mainly because the courts were shut (for the most part). Those who had hearings scheduled for the days between Boxing Day and January 31 either did them or got agents to cover them. We observed all the statutory Bank Holidays en masse, as again the courts close for the most part over Easter. The non-Christian staff covered religious bank holidays. In return, Muslim staff had time off for Eid and other religious festivals. Everyone sent Christmas cards, regardless of their religion. Where I work now we had until recently a secretary who is a Jehovah's Witness. She asked specifically never to receive a Christmas card, didn't send any and refused to accept a bun whenever another member of staff had a birthday. She even refused to attend my secretary's 50th birthday dinner and stayed away when we had a lunchtime party for another secretary's 40th. That caused a fair amount of comment, but on the whole we respected her right to exercise her religious freedom. Apart from one of the partners at another office, who sent Christmas cards to every member of staff! In most multi-faith schools, I see no harm in holding Nativity plays. It's part of British culture, this being a Christian country institutionally. By the same token, I would expect there to be observance of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, to Chanukah, Passover and basically the major holidays of other religions - regardless of whether there are children of those faiths in the school or not. People fear that of which they are ignorant. Therefore if we grow up knowing about other faiths, we may be less likely to fear them. I serve on our local authority Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education. It is a requirement of the 'Agree Sylllabus' that Christianity plus other religions be taught - the number of others depends, e.g. on the age of the children (i.e. Key Stage One require Christianity plus one other; the school chooses it from four main ones - plus there is always flexibility to spend more time on a particular one if there is a special reason to do so (e.g. children from that faith in the school). However, none of these religions must be taught in the sense of indoctrination. A teacher who is e.g. a keen Christian, Muslim etc. is forbidden to try to persuade the children that their own faith is the correct one. The two main things that are taught about any religion is - learning ABOUT the religion; and - learning FROM the religion.
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Post by revmichael on Dec 3, 2007 14:05:43 GMT
I love Christmas, but do feel it has become too commercialised. I would like to know why people who declare that they are atheists or whatever and do not believe in God, still celebrate Christmas? If they don't believe in God and the birth of Jesus, why do they celebrate Jesus's birthday? (just having a grump) When my children were small, I felt Christmas began when they took part in the school Nativity play. These plays were the best entertainment, with little faces peering out from under teatowels and other costumes, to say their well rehearsed lines, in breathless voices and then, ad libbing, when in the excitement they were forgotten. Small children prompting each other in earnest. Little faces lighting up when they saw their parents and grandparents in the audience, and then giving a little wave. Parents bursting with pride and giggling at the ad libs and mistakes, which always added to the fun. Priceless. PS. Hi Nat. I read a very sad newspaper artcle yesterday that said the 4 out of 5 schools no longer held nativity plays for fear of distressing children brought up in other religions. Apparently there are some politically correct plays that do not mention the nativity, and they get used in some of these schools. Other schools simply do nothing - I think the latter is depriving both children and parents of some wonderful childhood moments. Yes. This kind of thing seems to be happening more each Christmas - all done supposingly in the name of not upsetting those of non-Christian faiths. But when Sikhs, Muslims etc are interviewed they all seem to say, 'But we don't object to the story of Christmas being told - we send Christmas cards as well as those of our own religion. It seems that the kind of alterative plays that Fi talks about are usually inspired by the secularist lobby. After all there are huge number of Christmas Cards available that don't have a Bible message about them - in fact it is sometimes quite difficult to find cards that do have nativity scenes on them.
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