Filed under Compassion …

Feb 27 2010
bereavement, Bible, Christianity, Community, Compassion, Compassion UK, Death, Faith, Family, Haiti, Prayer, Religion, Theology, Uncategorized

More blessed to give than receive

I just received a letter and picture for the fridge from one of the kids we sponsor through Compassion UK. Tucked away between the prayers for us and news of football games was this – ‘please read Acts 20:35′

Not a verse I know by heart – I looked it up. And then I found I did know it:

…remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

I once heard of a Bishop who preached, “Jesus said – and I think he was right…’

Well, I know he’s right!

The apostle Paul knew that too and recalls in this passage words spoken by Jesus which are not recorded in any of the gospels; words that shaped the early church’s thought and practice – and helped it make such an impact! It was said of the early Christians, “They share their food but not their beds.” They were sexually pure but promiscuous in generosity!  They lived like that because they had their eyes on another destination.

Jesus said, “Store up treasures in heaven . . .” Why? Because it’s wise! Because whatever we have given to help the poor or invested in building God’s kingdom will last. It won’t be consumed by moths and rust and thieves.  But you’ll never see a hearse pulling a trailer. 

A friend of mine is an independent financial adviser. He says, “When it come to your money don’t just think just 3 days ahead, or 3 months or 3 years. Think 30 years.” Jesus Christ says, “Don’t just ask, how will this investment be paying off in thirty years. Ask, how will this investment be paying off in thirty million years?”

C. T. Studd left being England cricket captain to reach out to needy people in the mission field he famously said this…“One short life, ’twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”

I have some bad news. I have a terminal disease! I’m going to die!

Even worse news? You have the same disease! You’re going to die too!

The disease is called mortality. One day, sooner than any of us would like to  think, we’ll each stand before our Lord, the Audience of One. He’ll call us to account for how we’ve stewarded our lives and our resources here.

If your treasures are in heaven….good news. Heaven is coming! All Hell can’t going to stop it. Anything you’ve put in God’s hands – for his work-  is safe. Anything you haven’t – isn’t going to last.

Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He’s saying, “Show me your chequebook and bank statement, I’ll show you where your heart is. Your heart follows your money.”

Want a heart for Pork Bellies? Put your money there! Want a heart for Tesco? Buy shares! Want a heart for God? A heart for what matters most to Him? A heart bigger than your next acquisition? Put your treasures where God is at work! Want a heart for your church? Invest your money in your church’s ministry. Then, put your treasures in mission work – reaching the poor. Want a heart for street kids? Invest… every day there are opportunities to buy up more shares in God’s kingdom!

Five minutes after we die, we’ll know exactly how we should have lived. But then it’ll be too late to go back and change anything! God has given us his Word so we don’t have to wait until we die to know how we should have lived. There’s no second chance for the unbeliever – AND no second chance for the believer!

You and I have one short life on earth to invest in heaven. Let’s not miss the opportunity! Here’s a great prayer: May what will be most important to me five minutes after I die, become most important to me now.

Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, made his fortune by inventing dynamite and other powerful explosives. When Nobel’s younger brother died in an experiment, a newspaper accidentally printed his obituary instead. He was described as a man who became rich from enabling people to kill each other. Shaken by this assessment, Nobel wrote a will which resolved to use his fortune to reward accomplishments that benefited humanity, including what we now know as the Nobel Peace Prize.

Nobel had a rare opportunity – to look at the assessment of his life at its end, while he still had time to change it. While we live on earth – God is so gracious- it’s the land of second chances.

Put yourself in Nobel’s place. Read your own obituary, not as written by uniformed or biased people, but as an onlooking angel might write it from heaven’s point of view. Look at it carefully. Then let’s use the rest of our lives to edit that obituary into what we really want it to be.

To live each day with the knowledge that every moment we get closer to death, we get closer to our treasures – rather than further from them.

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Feb 14 2010
Bible, Christianity, Church, Community, Compassion, Death, Faith, Family, Healing, Heaven, Jesus, Religion

Pastors R Us! Debra Green evening talk

Debra Green : Equipped. Pastors r us?

What is the pastor gift? Shepherding? Can mean someone with divine enabling of others, taking responsibility to model & establish trust, lead, protect those within our span of care.

We can’t abdicate caring to pastors who are paid. We all should take responsibility to respond to need.
Pastoral care; 4 things to remember- CARE

C. Compassion. It starts here! Jesus looked at the crowd and had compassion. He saw they were hungry. Went to meet the need. Went to rescue the lost sheep. Moved to reach out. In your gut, you are moved toward a need. Splancnizomai. Not just a sense of duty, it’s more powerful. Break my heart for what breaks yours. We don’t all have the same concern about the same things & that’s OK.  Sometimes we just have to get involved, being spontaneously compassionate. You don’t need permission or a word from God to do that. But bigger issues, like ‘should I go to Haiti?’ we need to check that and run through a bigger filter.
A. Aid (or Action). It’s not just a fluffy feeling – go to work! Cf Good Samaritan. Lk 10. Compassion got him to cross the road. He was a neighbour because he showed mercy. He came to his Aid, a stranger! There were all kinds of reasons why we has the last to be expected to help but he was there, doing what was needed: for a stranger: Mt 25:35-40. We are doing it as unto Jesus! He receives it himself. As a church we are to extend our pastoral care beyond the walls of the church! When someone dies, what can you do? Best thing is just be there with them & be kind. Send notes. Help practically. Offer to pray, sensitively! Give them space too.
R. Relationships. Jn 19:26 Jesus is in agony on the cross, he has nothing more he can give it seems, but then he sees his mother & best friend. Says, ‘Mother- here is your son.’ thinks of them above himself. Putting people together. We have to love & care for people. The bigger the church, it’s easier for people to fall through the net. Ring the person who’s missing, tell them you missed them! Nobody will be attracted to a church where there’s no love. People long for extnded family.
E. Empathy. So much more than sympathy. It’s a rich thing. Hebrews 4:15 , says Jesus knows how we feel, fully. So, he can fully empathise with us when we struggle. You can say, ‘I know someone who is able to know how you feel.’ in fact, when you have been through something – God can use you to help others with the same or similar pain or experience. You may have wondered why God allowed it? It’s valid to ask that. But one day you see it.

How to deal well with conflict in church.
10 steps
1. Come to me privately if you have a problem with me.
2. I’ll come to you privately
3. If someone comes to you with a problem about me, send them to me
4. If someone consistently will not come to me, say, ‘let’s go together.’
5. Be careful how you interpret me, i would rather do that myself! You might not fully understand my intentions.
6. I will be careful how I interpret you
7. If its confidential, don’t tell even one petson unless it will lead to harm to someone or danger.
8. I do not read unsigned notes, don’t bother sending them.
9. I do not manipulate, I will not manipulate, don’t let anyone manipulate you to try to manipulate me.
10. If in doubt, just say it. If I can answer without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.

Pastoral care is just caring for everyone who God brings into your world. It’s not just for the church!

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Jan 28 2010
1 Comment
Compassion, Compassion UK, Haiti, poverty

HEART FOR HAITI

Just watched the full video I made from our recent mercy mission into Haiti with our Grow Group. Some snippets are on here.

Looking forward to being able to share a little more on Sunday at all services at Ivy Manchester, as we prepare for another big scary step of faith to help the people who need it most right now – let’s fill the Apollo!

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Jan 12 2010
2 Comments
Bible, Christianity, Compassion, Evangelists Conference, Failure, Faith, Father God, Holy Spirit, REVIVAL

Michael Ramsden: Knowing and trusting the character of God.

Michael Ramsden. Evangelists Conference.


He was converted as a child, while living in Cyprus. Knew he would have to give up everything for Christ. He loved the Bible immediately. They asked at the first Bibel study, ‘If God could give you one thing what would you want?’

His reply: “I would want to be an evangelist.” Always knew that’s what he was called and appointed to.

But there can be a performance mentality, and being judged by numbers. Retreated from that – a turning point came when he was preaching in South Africa, and at a golf club a business man had arranged an evening meal. Hoping for 60 people to come – 137 came. There were more non Christians than Christians. Afrikaans high class business types. Someone came up to him and told him the meeting was a mistake, they would not be receptive.

And that experience happened when there was complete silence to all his points, and his heart was sinking! Cold sweat! But then at the end he gave an invitation. Then cards were offered for a response.

A to E. Grade it – A = one of the best sermons you have ever heard

E = the worst. Uh-oh!

Then there were various responses. From ‘I became a Christian.’ To ‘Never invite me to an event again.’

Afterwards he was wrecked. Couldn’t sleep.

730am next day the organiser rang. He dreaded answering the phone!

46 people ticked box A – ‘I gave my life to Jesus.’

48 people ticked box B – ‘I want to go to the Bible study.’

4 ticked box E.

Weeks on, loads from box B became Christians. 2 from box E did too.

Resolved therefore… to always give people the opportunity, no matter how I feel. My feelings are not a strong basis to operate this ministry from!

It’s about trust. Trusting God.

But many Christians are not sure if they can morally trust God.

Non Christians like Dawkins would say our God is morally abhorrent. (The cross is abusive).

If you can’t know God is trustworthy – you can’t trust him.

Cf Jonah. The whole city was saved. Remarkable, you’d think that was encouraging? Mass salvation of an enemy nation. How does the preacher feel?

Chapter 4:1 – it displeased Jonah greatly – (literally gut wrenchingly exceedingly upset) and he was angry.

I sometimes get displeased that revival doesn’t come. Here it’s the other way round! Jonah hated the people he was preaching to, and he knew God was gracious and compassionate – the kind of God he was, is Jonah’s problem.

We can get angry and upset when we see people forgiven and restored. So, here’s the issue. We sometimes seem as if God’s schizophrenic: On one side loving and nice, or there’s fierce wrath.

We need to not set them in opposition to each other, but see them in the light of each other.

In Pride and Prejudice there is a scene where Mr Darcy says he loves her against his will, his better judgement and his character. (Unsurprisingly she rejects him!)

If there are some people who know you (everything- the real thing), YET they love you – those are the most valuable relationships. To be known warts and all – and loved.

True love does not exist in the absence of judgement – but in the presence of it – like in a marriage where as you get to know each other and in the face of flaws etc you healthily grow in depth, where there is love in the face of knowing you, when spoken by someone knows you.

God really knows you. Do you have emotional stability that comes from knowing that God loves you despite your flaws? (Doesn’t mean God is happy with them or that we should excuse them). He knows it.

God is not interested in covering things up. That’s not the path to true relationship.

Like when you say something stupid to a friend. Next day you go to them and apologise.

It’s great when they forgive you.

But if they say, “It’s nothing” – and walk away, and you know – it’s something! And now there is something between you. It’s not the same.

OR – we try to make up for it. We make a fuss. We serve in some way to earn the forgiveness rather than look at the problem. We no longer have real relationship. Covering up wrongdoing (in that sense) becomes a barrier to relationship.

The word Compassion – comes from ecclesiastical Latin. Means ‘With Passion.’ To make a moral judgement and be moved from the depth of your being to do something about it. You have compassion when you say, “That’s wrong – we have to DO something!”

God is a compassionate God, because he looks at the sin of the world and he is moved to step in, to go to a cross – not to cover our sins but to justify us by publicly dealing with it by God – who then seeks us out and offers us, as a gift, and then gives to us – salvation.

The message is nothing other than that while we were still sinners, he found us! He had already paid the price, he has moved! He knows exactly what we are like, and what was required. And he’s with us.

We hear the phrase, “God loves you” so much, it becomes meaningless.

God loves you because he knows who you are. He is not deluded.

So…

I don’t have to pretend to be what I’m not, with God. He already knows! It’s not helpful for God for me to be transparent with him. It’s good for me.

It also gives me transparency with others. I know I have been forgiven – because he forgave me.

There is only one basis for me to be forgiven:

If I have done wrong to someone – I should not be able to say ‘I’m forgiven’ – except and unless the other party is willing to forgive, and offers it – and through repentance I have received that forgiveness.

If that’s the case, it is not arrogant for me to say, “I am forgiven.”

We are dependent on him, his promise. God has said it! It’s dealt with. So I can be secure, whatever other insecurities I might wrestle with.

Are you totally assured as to the character of God? Are you utterly sure of him?

Are you utterly sure he really means his words of love and assurance? That he has chosen, called and loved you? That’s the reality!

Are you prepared to fail on that basis?

The basis on which I know I can fail, is that I know it’s not about me. I do and can blow it. When preaching, it’s not about how many respond etc. I am okay of others reject me on the basis that God has accepted me.

We need confidence – to trust the God who transforms lives.

In all other worldviews God can be merciful, by passing over his justice. For us, it’s not at the expense of his justice, BOTH operate together.

He then gave a few examples from some difficult places and situations he has visited. Do you REALLY believe God can reach everyone? He’s still in that business. He can change anyone.

He shared a platform with Prof John Woodbridge. He was talking about the history of revival. Challenging seminars, kept on asking, “Do you believe God could do this today?” That in very secular and sceptical places, where there is no evidence that God’s moving right now – revival can happen!

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Feb 23 2009
Bible, Christianity, Church, Compassion, Compassion UK, Faith, Heaven, Holy Spirit, Jesus, justice, Prayer, Quotes, Religion

Good and ready?

In Titus 3:1, the apostle Paul says to remind people to be ready to do what ever is good.

Are you ready yet?

Be ready every day, throughout all your day to do good. We’re about to start our ’40 Days of Community’ and all the small groups in the church are going to do some really good things – together – in our community. Exciting times!

This was John Wesley’s rule of life, his motto.

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can!”

Do whatever good you can whenever you can. Just after that in Titus 3 v14 it says that Jesus’ followers must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they do not live unproductive lives.

What have you spent today doing? God is saying “Don’t waste your life! Don’t squander your one and only life by missing the opportunities God gives you to do good!”

I just spent the afternoon with Ian Hamilton, Director of Compassion UK. What a great guy! Tireless, energetic, uncomplaining in his work for the poor. That organisation is doing so much good around the world, that will echo in eternity.

These days if God wants to touch and bring love into somebody’s life, He will do it through your life or mine. Mother Teresa used to say “We are the hands and feet of Jesus”.

What can you do today? Are you ready to do good?

Albert Schweitzer once said “keep your eyes open for the little tasks – because it is the little kind tasks that are important to Jesus Christ.”

That’s what God wants to get done through you.The goal isn’t just that we avoid doing bad, but that we become people who are devoted to doing good, who live lives so full of doing good, so filled up with the kindness of Christ, so filled with the love of the Holy Spirit flowing through us – that we would one day reach the highest levels of kindness. Because our pattern isn’t even Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer, our bar’s set higher… it’s to be like Jesus Christ.

It’s God’s dream, desire and destiny for you and for me to be people that do good in the world.  So that people see that and through that see Him.  Ephesians2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Why do good? – because it is your destiny, it is God’s plan.

Where do you do good? – wherever He puts you.

How do you do good? – however the Holy Spirit tells you.

When? – why wait?

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Feb 19 2009
1 Comment
Bible, Christianity, Church, Compassion, Compassion UK, credit crunch, Faith, Jesus, justice, Liberation Theology, poverty, Prayer, Religion, Uncategorized

You can do what you can do

Jesus was having dinner when a woman came in and poured perfume all over his head; made from spikenard which was incredibly costly – it only grows in the foothills of the Himalayas. Some people complained this act of worship was a waste; what could have been done for the poor with all that money?!
Jesus’ reply is very interesting, not just for his unqualified commendation of the woman (She did a lovely thing!), but he says

“The poor you will always have with you…”

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That could be seen as dismissive and uncaring, a justification for not getting involved with a world of need; where women today spend so much on perfume in our stores and others in poverty have to spend 40 million hours a year on the task of getting clean water. But let Jesus finish his sentence -

and you can help them any time you want.

Isn’t that a liberating truth? The poor are with us, in our cities nearby and in nations everywhere. You can help them any time you want.  Sponsor a child, feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick, visit the prisoner - and you’re doing it to Jesus who takes on ‘the disguise of the poor’ as Mother Teresa said. There’s plenty of poor people with you. Follow any of the links there and it’ll take you to an idea! You can help them any time you want.

You can make a difference for people who are being trafficked, asylum seekers, victims of natural disaster or genocide or the debt-bound.

Do you want to today?

‘She did what she could’

Jesus said.

Don’t do what you can’t. Do what you can.

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Jesus thinks that’s a beautiful thing.

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Jan 29 2009
Christianity, Compassion, Compassion UK, Faith, Family, Jack Nicholson, Manchester, Movies, Prayer, Religion, REVIVAL, Uncategorized

What would YOU save in a hurricane?

We’ve sponsored kids for years. Firstly with an organisation called Tearfund (who do great stuff but not child sponsorship any more), then with Compassion. Saving a life for the price of a daily paper? A no-brainer.

While I hate to admit this, I didn’t write many letters to the kids myself. I got Zoe or our children to do it. We did pray for them, but it’s hard to be all meaningful when all you usually get back is a coloured in flag from the country and a translated note saying, “I go to the project. I like to play football.” We put the kids photos up and remembered them but really, I forget all the middle names (the South American ones have a lot!).

One year we were excited to open a school report on one of the boys we sponsored. “The boy has acne.” That was about it.

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Best dress and a balloon hat

On our penultimate day in Haiti we had a party. 100 people gathered in Port Au Prince at a church that had decent facilities. We were amazed how good it was, then we found it was owned by Americans who all gather to worship there.

Excited families had travelled far (the record was two days on crowded public deathtrap ‘Tap Tap’ buses), to sing and enjoy music,  face paints and balloons, bead making and footie. Many of them were able to meet the people who have actually sponsored them – something Compassion sometimes can arrange – a thrill for everyone involved.It wasn’t until we saw those reunions take place, and then started to give presents and letters to other families, that we realised just how VALUED those who sponsor kids really are.

party

I started to get it a couple of days before when we went to a house smaller than my garage, well -a mud hut with a tin roof – where a man and his wife lived with six daughters, two sponsored. His job was to go to the well and get water which he hoped to sell through the day. Furniture? One chair.

I asked whether they knew who their sponsors were. They went into the house and brought out a treasure; every letter and photo ever sent, perfectly kept. Lovingly they unfolded these momentoes from people they loved and prayed for every day with thanksgiving, but in all likelihood would never see until heaven.

The picture above is of Wobenly, a lovely boy sponsored by some great friends of ours, the Tods. He and his mum were so delighted to receive a few little presents; a bouncy ball, a toy car, some pens. Blessed are the poor in spirit! He hugged me so tight it seemed he’d not let go. I got to speak to other kids and parents too as I helped them make some bracelets and necklaces with boxes of beads we had brought. I put a few beads on the string and held it up to show. “Just three beads each children” said the interpreter. They’d have been happy with that but what the heck – I said they could go crazy with as many as they wanted.

A guy called Ian had sent a package through too. I talked with the Mum and son and she produced a red coloured cloth pouch covered in love hearts. This again contained every letter and photo they’d ever received. She carefully put their new note and pictures in there. The children would hug the photos of their sponsors.

Later in the afternoon I connected with her again, she  was asking whether anyone could also sponsor her younger daughter, to help the family (Ian is now doing so, which is great). She explained that she’d lost her house in the hurricane. Since September the family have had to live on the floors of relatives and friends.

Hang on – wasn’t this the same woman who had the pouch full of letters? Yes. It was what she made sure she saved from the house.

How worthwhile is it to sponsor a child? I hope those of you who already do will be encouraged that you’re doing a great thing, saving a child from the poorest of the poor in every way it’s possible to be saved. If you haven’t done it yet I hope you’ll go to the Compassion page and do so, please let me know if you have it’ll make my day too.

In the amazing film About Schmidt Warren (played by Jack Nicholson) comes to the end of his miserable working life and with a  mess of a family and no friends, after a road trip across the States he wonders whether anything he has ever done was really worthwhile.  He never smiles throughout the movie. Early on he’d sponsored a poor child, who he writes to as if he really can understand. “Relatively soon I will die, and will my life have made any difference?” he wonders.  Treat yourself for a few minutes as you watch.

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Jan 27 2009
4 Comments
bereavement, Christianity, Church, Compassion, Compassion UK, Death, Faith, Family, Grief, Heaven, Jesus, justice, Liberation Theology, politics, poverty, Religion, Uncategorized

A Father’s Choice

Kids saved from the eye of a hurricane

Kids saved from the eye of a hurricane

I’m finally in a position (phew! a little time) to start to roll out some of my thoughts and feelings following the recent visit with friends to the Compassion projects in Haiti. It was a week that felt like a month. I’m doing something of a stream of consciousness rather than a day by day recap.

Short summary? (People generally don’t know about Haiti and ask if it was nice). I told a friend “Haiti is hell on earth, with heaven breaking in.”

The poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Home to 9 million people. 40% live in the cities, 80% below the poverty line. Read that again before it just washes over you, think of the implications for those fellow children of God. Mums and Dads who love their kids the same as I love mine.

54% of the people in Haiti live in what the UN describe as ‘Abject Poverty,’- less than $2 a day. There’s not even any credit to crunch there.

I think I have seen worse poverty on previous mission trip in India in the wake of the tsunami, but  that’s because our hosts from Compassion were wise enough to shield us from the very worst places – slums where gangs rule with fear and machine guns. A UN peacekeeping force is now in charge of Haiti’s security, guns, sandbags and blue helmets galore in all urban areas.  No planes are allowed to say overnight at the airport in Port Au Prince in case they’re hijacked.

Everywhere we travelled we had three armed guards. Overkill? No. One Compassion worker was kidnapped with his 8 year old daughter last year.  They’d kill him to show they were serious and leave his wife to raise a ransom for the girl, so he made the decision to roll out of the moving car – leaving her with the captors, so he could raise the funds for her release. It worked, but the decision to leave her so haunted him that  he had a breakdown and had to move out of the country.

How’s that for a father’s choice?

The photo above was taken as in Gonaives we filmed some short clips for You Tube (I’ll post the links when they’re up) to appeal for you to sponsor a child through Compassion. If you do already, you probably have no idea how important that is as I’ll detail in a future post. If you can’t wait to do it – click here, but please email me or comment so I know and can pray and thank God for your decision.

That day we’d travelled hours to this, the second largest city in Haiti, worst hit by the most recent hurricanes in September last year. 800,000 were affected across the country but 85% of this city was totally deluged by seven to eight metres of flooding. I heard at the time news reports of corpses from the morgue floating along next to fresh dead bodies so that the true number of fatalities was uncertain. It’s the kind of story I couldn’t get my head around at the time. But when you see the devastation still so apparent, and hear the stories of how the flood affected real people;  how Compassion saved so many lives it’s heaven vs hell, again.

Ashley, a pastor at the church we visited who also works for Compassion,  told how he’d received a call from his brother to warn him too late that the floods were coming. The family lived on the roof for three days and nights without food or water, watching neighbours floating past dead, until another deluge overwhelmed them. His wife couldn’t swim. Our interpreter began to cry as Ashley told of putting his five kids in an overturned fridge, with his wife who couldn’t swim hanging on too – they all floated along until they were, thankfully, rescued.

Another man in checked trousers stood up in the church (all Compassion’s work is done through the local church) to tell how grateful he was for us coming to visit him. He also had no time to prepare for the hurricane, living in a three room single storey tiny house. He was with his 13 year old daughter when the floods hit and had to survive a week without food. He only survived because Compassion relief had brought food and helped rehouse him after he lost everything. The house was swept away and he hung onto a tree branch with his wife.

Others danced and sang and gave us presents as they told how Compassion gave many people money for recapitalisation of businesses, or vouchers to repair 0r rebuild their houses. I thought it was just about child sponsorship, but they do so much more! They distributed seed, though the top soil has gone and the harvest looks to be very sparse this year. Hundreds had come to greet us, all had received food packages within 2 days. I felt a phony because they made us feel like VIPs. I was just there a day, Ashley had chosen to remain, though the hurricanes will probably be back next year.

Mister checked trousers had sat down, but we asked him, “How is your daughter now?”

“She’s dead.” It took him three days to find his other two girls. He’d come to say thanks, not for sympathy.

We heard of another man had two children, one under each arm. When the water came over his head he had to make a choice as to which to let go, so he could swim with one.

Such stories show how desperate this world can be for the poor. As a Pastor myself my heart moved, I couldn’t just sit there. The Holy Spirit was moving so strongly in this place of tears and pain and thanksgiving. I stood – but what to say?

“Some will say, ‘Where was God when the hurricane hit?’ They will shake a fist at heaven. Or we can open our hand to God. That’s the choice we make.”

I talked with them of God’s love, that he was present in every piece of help given through in Compassion’s work as so many of them had, praising through their grief. Many women wept as I prayed for those who had died and those were were left, and read from Psalm 46:

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

I told them that God knew their names, and all their stories, and God knows the ones they loved and could see no more.

But later that day as we drove away and I reflected, and realised that our Father God knows even more than that. He knows the Father’s choice, because He let go of his only Son at the cross – to take hold of and save you and me.

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