all of life

God's good news encompasses really every part of life.

I think we've sometimes forgotten that.

Today made me think about that again. The first long half of the morning I was back along at the school. The primary school.

For their P4-7 awards ceremony.

(I'd have gladly stayed as well for the second part of the thing which was the 'Leavers' Show' - but the school had said the whole thing would be over by 11am and I'd made an appointment to meet with someone else at 11.15. And the second part hadn't started when eleven o'clock came around.)

The awards included an 'Eco Award'. Which I got to introduce since it all related to the little competition that we'd run a month or so ago to see just how the children thought our grounds might best be used. Environmental responsibility.

It's an issue we have to care about. It's got to be part of the message we seek to proclaim. I mean, it's how the Bible starts.

My appointment at just after eleven was with a girl, a student still, who's spending all this summer as an intern for an organisation called International Justice Mission UK.

I've had a bit of contact with the organisation in the past. I know the chairman a bit from student days and he's been here before and spoken in our Sunday morning worship of his work.

I've a nephew as well who's worked for IJM this past while. And it was really through him that I got to meet this summer intern today. We were really exploring together the ways in which she might be able, through these summer months, to make the work of IJM a little better known.

Acts justly, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. The three main legs on which we build our life.

Justice, as well, has got to be part of the message we seek to proclaim. Not just justice as a theory. Not just the thing in principle. But the application of justice. The standing up to, and challenging, injustice.

Like Elijah did when he challenged the king in regard to the vineyard a guy called Naboth had. Before he got killed by the greedy king and his even more greedy wife.

Injustice. Elijah didn't simply stand up in his pulpit and denounce the king. He went to the man and challenged him face to face. A kind of 'hands-on' approach to the issue of justice.

That's what IJM is all about. And rightly so.

Taking care of the planet responsibly. Taking part in ensuring that righteousness somehow prevails. Across the world.

Well, the morning was gone in a flash!

And then there were all sorts of calls to be made. And received. Some of them quite lengthy and involved. But important. Talking through some complicated issues and just how they're best resolved in ways that further God's own purposes and build his people up.

Lunch was therefore late. I think my soup had been re-heated twice by the time I got to the table! But worth waiting for. And it set me up for the rest of the day.

Which was admin - a whole load of e-mails and letters to send that might have been done, in an ideal world, at the start of the day (but that was already gone!).

And a little bit of long-since overdue preparation for the services on Sunday. Getting orders of service prepared in outline form, and sent to those concerned.

And at night I was out 'on the road' again as well. Calling on folk in their homes. And chatting things through, issues that needed discussed.

And finally back to the office here, to e-mail a person at length and to offer him thus some guidance, advice and support. Commending a passage of Scripture to him. Showing him why I thought it applied to his case. And suggesting some ways for the man to proceed.

God's message relates to the whole of our lives. To all of our world.

We need to get that message out!