I want to add some things about my thoughts on work and stuff, so here it is - my piece for the church magazine:

Newsletter Piece, Feb 2009

Normally I write in this newsletter about something that is coming up, something you might have to get involved in or even something that has already happened.

Well, this month is a little different. As many of you may know I am a film fan, I love watching films. Recently I was given some vouchers for the cinema. So last week I went to see “Slumdog Millionaire”. A fascinating film that lots of people have been talking about.

The film features a boy from the slums of India who is on the quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”. He is accused of cheating in the quiz but through a series of flashbacks we realise that each question he is asked relates to a memorable moment or an event in his life. Some of these events are happy, some are sad and some events stay with him through his own feelings of guilt. However, no matter what the events are without them he wouldn’t be where he was in the quiz.

And, although a bit of a cheesy link, that’s what is like for us. Some of us will remember moments of joy, of sadness and even times of regret or guilt. It can be difficult as those attempting a “walk” with God not to remember these times, especially those when we did something we regret. However, without these moments we wouldn’t be the people we are, we wouldn’t be doing the things we are doing and we may not be on the walk with God at all.

In the Sunday Specials conversations about baptism seem to come up quite regularly, partly because out of the four specials we have had two have occurred on the same day as a baptism at church. In the New Year Sunday Special we were also talking about fresh starts and “new beginnings”.

That can be a certain time for us, a time when we recommit ourselves to God, not necessarily through a ceremony or a resolution (although we can do this) but maybe, just simply, through a prayer. Saying that no matter what has happened in the past we can have a new beginning with God, we can start afresh and follow him one day at a time.

At the end of the film, I’ll try not to spoil it, we see all the events come to a head but as usual with films we don’t find out what happens next (unless there is a sequel). And again it is the same in life. We don’t know what will happen next, we don’t know what good and bad events are still to come. But we have God to help us through them. He doesn’t judge us for what we have done instead He wants to chat with us, stay with us and experience the next events with us. He can be part of our future no matter what our past has been.

Maybe after reading this you will go and see “Slumdog Millionaire” or maybe you will make a fresh step, say a prayer or do something that God has been calling you to do. Whatever the thoughts I will leave you with this verse, one that I used to hear at every baptism when I was growing up, and one that reminds me what it is to be special to God.

"The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." Numbers 6:24-26