silly and scammed

I am embarrassed to relay this tale of my own stupidity but from it I learned a lesson and perhaps my experience might help prevent someone else from falling prey to online scammers.
During a particularly busy week, I was looking online for a piece of music for a service I was due to take - I found the song - not on iTunes - and downloaded it.
BUT - then warnings started to pop up on my screen - a bug had been found with dire consequences to  my computer if I didn't ring ...
And so I rang.
I didn't think
I didn't pray
I rang

And the foreign man at the other end was plausible and patient, and persuasive ... long story short ...
I ended up purchasing expensive virus protection which later turned out to be available without cost.

My dear husband was remarkably kind - he talked me through the indicators of scamming and what I  needed to do.
So it was off to the bank to cancel my credit card.
And it was off to my computer man to check the laptop for any 'search and destroy viruses' 'they' might have planted.
But most of all it was to my knees to pour out to God my regret for not pausing long enough to seek God's wisdom before I acted.

As I write about this incident now, I can see that there were other  factors apart from busyness that contributed to my being sucked in -   my pride (a misplaced sense of being 'computer-savvy' - just because sometimes I can do computer things that my husband can't) and my habit of managing by myself, going it alone.

Pride, self-sufficiency and busyness-  three classic barriers to the grace of God. I was behaving as if rushing would lead me to good decisions, as if I knew more than Wisdom, as if I could work better alone, instead of in Relationship.

I was wrong.


Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy


Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.
Mark Twain

Duckling time again

It's duckling time of the year again.

Across the road in some vacant land, we saw a female duck sitting awkwardly in the grass. For a moment it looked as if she'd been hit by a car as her legs were stretched out behind her and we could see her webbed feet.But, as we waited and watched, she got up and, slowly, from under her broad body, emerged duckling after duckling after duckling  - eight in all - fluffy, adorable, vulnerable.

Half an hour later, as we returned from our walk, we came across a woman, pushing a pram and trying to control an enthusiastic little dog who mistook our labrador for her best friend, much to Lara's bemusement. As dog-owners do, we got talking and found that the duck and her brood were on this woman's mind too. In fact, we learned that, every day she was doing what she could to protect and feed the little family as they grew and started to walk up and down the street near where she lived.

This woman made an impression on us both - her own evident encounter with serious health issues hadn't stopped her 'going the second mile' to care for these little creatures, We both felt humbled by her courage and compassion.

And I was reminded of the gospel passage in which Jesus speaks of his enduring desire to gather Jerusalem's children 'as a hen gathers her brood under her wings' (Luke 13.34b) - but they were not willing.

Free will - ducklings have it and sometimes it leads them into trouble...
We have it, and with it the choice to move closer to God or further away, little by little, day by day.

Are you, am I like Jerusalem's children - unwilling to be gathered under God's wings?
Or are we increasingly drawn to Jesus, keeping close to him day by day, warmed, nurtured and then freed to live an abundant life?

Working together

I spent Saturday morning at our church Gala - working alongside three other
women on the 'hot food' stall, with enticing aromas drifting from over a dozen
crock pots filled with an assortment of delicious beef, chicken and vegetarian food.
I always make the same pumpkin, red pepper , potato and lentil curry because
it's pretty fool-proof and goes down well with those for whom meat's not such an
important part of their diet.

What struck me was the simple pleasure of working together. We've known
each other really only as parishioners and priest, but here we were able to be alongside one
another, listening to each other's stories, sharing our thoughts about gardening and partners
and children and life  as we waited for customers.

photo from FAMILIES - calendar by M.I.L.K.

In the space of three hours we deepened our connection with each other, and were woven more deeply into the fabric of our church community as we served those from the wider neighbourhood who wanted feeding -  and it was fun!

Friendship, food and fun  - nothing too serious - nothing that had to be done in a particular way - nothing that cost a lot of money or had to be earned - but we were building relationships with each other, and, if we stopped to look around us, we could see the face of God:

• in the smiling butterfly-painted face of the little girl with her mum
• in the elderly man coming to get something tasty and different to take home for dinner
• in the father and son manning the sausage sizzle ...
• in people helping each other 
• in the genuine warmth which welcomed the stranger  

God's not a million light years away but right in the midst of the ordinary - if we have eyes to see!

It's only 5am!

I am not an early riser by nature - I love the warmth of my bed and the comfort of lying flat. Now I'm reaping the consequences of heavy school bags and rounded shoulders, my neck isn't as strong as it used to be and complains after hours sitting in front of a laptop screen, writing.

Anyway, this morning I got up at the usual Tuesday time of  a little before 6am  so I could be at church by 6.30 am in time to set up for the service of Holy Communion at which our Bishop presides when he's able. I'd showered and dressed and was about to put on my watch, when I had to do a double-take - it wasn't 6.00 am as I thought - it was 5.00 am ! [and no - daylight saving clicked over the week before last so it wasn't that!]

5.00 am - I resist getting up that early but I was too far along the process to go back to bed so I took my laptop, went downstairs, sent Lara the labrador - always hopeful of  early biscuits- back to her bed and made myself a cup of tea.

There followed an hour of unexpected clarity about the next couple of sections of the book I'm currently writing - reference material, key concepts, questions, quotes - all just flowed as I spent time alternately writing [standing up at the sideboard as it's a good height] and wandering around the darkened lounge holding my warm drink and mulling things over.

Perhaps I was subject to a subtle Spirit strategy  - God knows my weakness, how I've struggled literally for years with getting up early, even naming it as my 'thorn in the flesh'!
Perhaps a moment of divine playfulness tickled my morning mind and the happy result was the gift of knowing what to write next!

Blessed be the God of surprises!

{ picture by Jean Keaton }