Author: Carol Purves

They would have been lying all around on the ground. It would have been so easy to pick up a stone, maybe not a large one and throw it at someone you disagreed with. Then when it was seen that you had hit the mark someone else would pick up a larger one and hurl that. Then the whole action would gather momentum. More and more stones would have been thrown.

It is unlikely that the original idea was to kill Stephen but crowds easily get out of hand and common sense goes out of the window. It could have been in this way that Stephen became the first martyr. He had to be stopped from continuing what he was saying. So died Stephen, the first martyr but definitely not the last.

Carol

The November day had been particular cold with little spatters of rain. I looked out of my kitchen window just before darkness fell. The picture was monochrome. The houses and cars were all tones of grey. The sky appeared stormy and forbidding. It looked like a scene before colour photography was discovered. The scene was as cold and dreary as the day had been.

Then I noticed a sliver of crimson in the sky, no thicker than a brush stroke. As I watched it widened, then narrowed and disappeared. The sinking sun which had been non-existent during the day had found a minute patch of sky where it could shine. A tiny miracle.

Carol

Alright, I know it’s not over the border like some of you manage all round the world, but I did have my last visit into Scotland for this year.

The decorations were lovely and the German market was in full swing. I managed to get some lovely Christmas presents, but I can’t tell you about them in case you are one of the recipients.

Last Saturday and Sunday all the churches worked together in Carlisle to put on Christmas in the City. We had about 3,500 people on each day and we gave away free 4,000 cakes (to different people of course) and a free booklet about famous Christians. This was all done to a back drop of the manager under the Christmas tree. Great.

Carol

They were just ordinary tablets of stone, until God wrote on them. They were probably rough, unhewn and useless. Because God touched them and wrote on them, they became special and precious. God used them to write what we now call The Ten Commandments and from these were based His command to us which amalgamated all ten.

‘Love God with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength and love your neighbour as yourself’   Matthew 12:33

Before we have the touch of God we are rough, unhewn and useless. Once God has lovingly touched us, we are useful and precious.

Carol

As our membership now ranges far from Carlisle, I thought a new name was appropriate. (People come from as far afield as Lancaster, Canonbie and St. Bees)

Our topic this meeting was ‘Stones’ and three members actually brought special stones with them.(We mustn’t have ‘elephants’ as our homework subject!!)

One wrote a poem  in tribute to her friend who never managed to visit some special stones with her. In actual fact most of the contributions were poems, although we are not specially a poetry group.

One person wrote about the stones which Jacob used to lay his head before he saw angels ascending and descending. Another remembered Christ is the Cornerstone and our stones are refined by God.

Carol

Leaving his father’s house and family behind, Jacob set out on his uncertain journey until the setting of the sun forced him to stop.

Lonely and uncertain of the future, sleep was not going to come easily but nevertheless he found some smooth stones on which he could rest his head. In  seemed no sooner than he settled down that he was asleep and dreaming. He saw a ladder up to heaven with angels descending and ascending. He knew he was in a holy place. He then received that promise from God that He would be with him and Jacob promised back to God that from that day he would return to God a tenth of all that he owned.  Genesis 28:10-22

It is in our time of greatest weakness that God meets us. He knows our need and gently He ministers to our want.

Jacob received a good night’s sleep, a promise for the future and a personal encounter with God.  No wonder those stones then became his Bethel, House of God.

Carol

Deborah and I visited our local animal refuge centre last week. There we met animals and pets who had been abandoned or could no longer be cared for by their owners.  We tried to speak to each one but the responses were different. The horses could not stop chewing the cud, the dogs just barked at us but the cats and kittens were willing to play endlessly.

Thinking about abandoned animals I realised that as children of God, we will never be abandoned  or deserted. It doesn’t matter how old we are or how useless, He will continue to love us. Comforting thought.

Carol

We were not all one family and none of us had special American connections but, as we had done last year, we met for a Thanksgiving celebration. Eleven of us all contributed to the meal which we ate together, finishing by taking communion.

At one point we all said what our own ‘thanksgiving’ was. They all included thanks to God. Some gave thanks for health, one for the gift of sight. One lady who had been very ill gave thanks for the support of her husband who was also with us. Others were thankful for church fellowship, family and security. As a church we work with those who do not have security of work, home, family or finance.

When we thought about it we were thankful for so many things that it was difficult to select just one or two.

Carol

As frail human beings (which we all are) we need something to lean on. What will it be?

Will we lean on Money? It doesn’t really give satisfaction as the more we have, the more we want. We are never satisfied. Will we lean on Family and Friends? That’s fine, but sometimes they can prove unreliable, unfaithful, disappear or even die. Family and friends can be a weak crutch.

What about Position and a good standing in the community? The adulation of the crowds can quickly fade as Jesus found. Look at our politicians, one week in favour, the next our of it. Redundancies and job losses happen only too often. Position in the community is not a good leaning stick. Our leaning on Health is most insecure. Good health can disappear in a twinkling of on eye.

The hymn writer got it right.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise, Thou my inheritance, now and always.

At last something which does not fade, pass, decline or disappear.

Another hymn –

I am trusting You, Lord Jesus, trusting only You, Trusting you for full salvation, rich and free.

Carol

Having a very small family and now being ‘older’ rather than ‘younger’ I’ve not had many wedding invitations recently. Therefore I was so excited to receive one for last Saturday. Josef came to England from the Czech Republic half a dozen years ago.

Although an engineer by trade, he had to work in a care home for a while until he qualified as a physiotherapist. He has now met and has married a lovely Christian local girl. Joseph has no family in this country and just a few relatives back in Europe.

Therefore those of us were kind to him when he first arrived in this country were invited as guests to his wedding. What a lovely unexpected pay-back for our kindness all those years ago.

Carol