Do you want a lift?

It is rare ,when the Rev. is away ,that I get offered a lift to church. As my friends' husband was taking the service today, they offered to pick me up from the main road.
I walked through the Glen listening to the birds chirping, lambs frollicking in the fields, enjoying the quiet. I thought if I stood on the grass at the side of the road ,they would see me ,I could hop in and we could get to the service in plenty of time.
A car approached at some speed and screeched to a halt, it was an Elder and his wife, I declined their offer of a lift ,as Louise was sure to come by soon. Another Elder in his battered landrover,spluttered past, having collected my 91 year old friend from high up on the hillside inaccessible to any other kind of vehicle.. I would have had to climb in the back to get a lift with them,or sit on my elderly friends' knee, soI felt I should definately wait for Louise.
Time was getting on as the wife of a retired Minister, who married the Rev. and I, pulled up. She drove through a large puddle that soaked me in muddy water from the knees down, and offered another lift. As we were talking, another car pulled in , in front of her, " Look she said ,your lift has arrived.", I rushed off and got  in the back of the car, yelling greetings, it took me a couple of minutes to register that this couple were not infact the friends coming to collect me, but another retired Minister and his wife. I 'm not sure who was most surprised,  especially as I exclaimed , "Oh , you're not the right people!".  They had stopped as they thought something must be wrong as the Ministers wife was obviously hitching a lift to church. I got out again, and as they dissapeared up the road to church, my friend arrived ,without her husband, who had suddenly become ill. She had brought the order of service and the sermon in the hope that someone could stand in.

As it happened the Session clerk  took a very enjoyable service using the well planned out notes supplied by the sick Reader.
As they say you wait ages ,then three come along at once.

Wee Clay Meez

http://weeclaymeez.co.uk/
I am doing some cheeky advertising here for my son,who makes cake toppers for weddings ,birthdays etc. Or you could use them just to remember a special event or person. Here are some examples:

This was on top of our "clootie dumpling" at our wedding2010

My youngest son complete with guitar.

Click on the link above if you want to see more.

For any clergy/missionary wives reading this. If you haven't read  "One with a Shepherd" ,try to get a copy, it's by Mary Somerville, published by Kress Christian Publications. She has been  a Pastors wife for 35 years and has experienced it all!

I have found it extremely helpful , and I have found myself saying outloud "I feel just like that!", it has helped me get my head round a lot of issues .  So if you are a wife of an "under-shepherd" it's well worth a read.

Liebster Awards?

I was heartened to read that my blogging friend Ray was nominated for a Liebster award. Given to those whose Blogs have under 200 readers and are well worth a read ,as she is. She in turn added my blog as one of her faves.
I tried to do a bit of research on this award but was unable to find the origin. It works like chain mail, you get nominated then you nominate your own 5 worth while reads. So I thought I would add my 5 favourites as they deserve a mention.
I would of course put Ray at Daydreamer.blogspot.com, but I think I am expected to put others. Those I read regularly and always give me food for thought are,in no particular order: drum roll please!
1Vic the Vicar
2.The Other Half
3.Tregear Vean
4 A Girl and Her Adventures in Baking my eldest daughter (remember she's dyslexic if you fnd the spelling a bit strange.)
All on Blogspot.
5. The Vicars Wife ( Wordpress)

And So many more I can't list, but Dreaming Beneath the Spires, Always Hope and The Vernacular Curate are well worth a read too.

Whether it's an accolade or not, it's nice to know that your ramblings are appreciated by a few and that you can share the blogs that give you enjoyment.

A Prayer of Confession

This is a prayer, we have used at the  " Meet at The Manse" group  (only women at the moment but we are open to any ) It is adapted from a prayer written by a member of the Iona Community, whose name at present escapes me.

Dear Lord,
There are lumps under the carpet that I cannot hoover up
There are cats that need to be let out of bags
There are skeletons that need to be let out of cupboards
Help me Lord to leave them at the foot of your cross........


Help me to be glad that I left them there
 Thank you for your forgiveness and your everlasting love,
Amen

Where two or three are..

January is nearly gone already,I have felt as if I'm on a conveyor belt since Christmas and keep hoping that someone will switch it off!

Our new Family work took off with a bang. Despite living in a remote rural area ,we have welcomed around 50 folk at a go. Some our own church, but at least half ,people who would rather go to the dentist than  come on a Sunday. We cook them a meal, chat to them while they do something crafty with their Grandchildren or own kids, we sing a song, have a story and wave them off.... and they keep coming back. I have been amazed too at the wonderful teamwork and the way our two separate Parishes are working together.

I could have done with some teamwork today, at long last our son has a "real " bed, after camping in his room for the past year. The man in the shop said that it was easy to assemble, so I looked forward to the challenge when the men from Glasgow arrived at the crack of dawn with brown boxes full of bits.

I laid out all the screws, washers, bolts and parts, and started on page one,  "Assemble head and foot board", it said .Easy peasy! Page two, "Three people are recommended for this part of the assembly." I read. Hmmm, I looked at the dogs, no poseable thumbs! So with 4 paperbacks and a stool I balanced the other parts and screwed it together. Two hours later , a bed.

Son came in from school and commented " It's a bit narrow I'll fall off, and I don't like the way you arranged my bedroom."  He gets NO TEA!

The Rev. has been at meetings in Edinburgh for the past two days. He will come in and tell me how tired he is, and ask me what I did today, because women at home sit and watch TV all day ,don't they. I have cleaned out hens, walked dogs, built a bed, done the washing, three baskets of ironing,(why do I leave it SO long!) and pinched some snowdrops from the churchyard for a flower arrangement. Inbetween times I have manned the study and answered the phone and written notes on " post it's" for him. Now it's time to feed the returning children, well one , I forgot I'm not feeding "him", but I expect I'll give in....

Can't get a wife? Buy one.

I read a post yesterday on an American Christian blog, where a young man posted about his inability to find a wife. He wanted a virgin bride, which he couldn't find as Christian women no longer saved themselves for men, and as he therefore needed to have sex, he may have to break his principle of abstinance whilst he was waiting for God to provide the right woman.
Another man had commented on the post saying not to worry he had bought himself a wife from overseas, not wanting the "jezebels" ,that christian girls had become.
I was quite annoyed by this article as well as extremely saddened at the attitude of these people who considered a wife ,a possession.. I really thought that we lived in  enlightened times ,where  men had more respect for women. I'm of the opinion that neither of these men , and the many others that commented,deserved wives at all. These were church attending Christians. I didn't really want to get involved  as they were  unlikely to listen to me, but I did point out the fact that , Paul said that husbands should "love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." (Ephesians 5:25) This is the kind of leadership Christ demonstrated when he let himself be nailed on a cross for us. These Christian girls they berated were probably having premarital sex with christian men, who themselves were waiting for their perfect woman while taking advantage of some elses daughter/ sister.Although I'm not saying the women were blameless.
The men  declared that they didn't want a widowed or divorced woman either. What selfish ,hypocritical young men they must be. Ephesians 5 21-33, Paul writes on relationships.

" The New Testament shows us that God loves both men and women.  Husband and wife are partners again, full and equal partners. . All the ancient walls that made for hatred and division  came down— Jew and gentile, master and slave, men and women. Paul sums it up in his letter to Galatians: "In Christ there is no longer Jew nor gentile, slave or freeman, male or female!" There isn't? No, in principle those conflicts are over; they're one and equal now. "In terms of our salvation," some have said. Yes, but salvation is not just the future. Salvation shows up right here and now. This is the reason Paul sheds light on these relationships. He sketches the contours of the life in Christ, and he shows us how to slough off the old and put on the new. And he points to the start of a very thorough-going turnabout. This is the renewing of the gift of marriage. This is the undoing of the fall, a return to God's original design." Jack Westerhof.

"In vs. 33 Paul summarizes everything he wants to say. He says, let husbands love and wives respect!.
"Let husbands love."  Love was the one thing pagan dads didn't teach their sons. Giving orders they learned, and how to use a woman they learned. But cherishing her person — that they had never been taught to do.  "Husbands, just as Jesus loved his Church, you love your wives!
"Let wives respect.".  Do something far better than that! Bring about this wonder in your partner’s life, the experience of affirmation, this reality of respect for his person ."

We need it to nurture our relationships. We cannot purchase love.

  Let husbands love. Let wives respect(and love!). Let’s do it. Let’s seek each other's good.  Keep it loving. Keep it fun.