a channel of your peace

My feet barely touched the ground today!

One constant rush from one thing to another from beginning to end. Not that I mind! The things involved were great and it's good to see God wonderfully at work.

The morning was mainly the school. With other bits interspersed.

The P4-7 assembly, first of all. Marking the end of the first half of term. The school gets a break next week.

The P7 pupils were 'running the show' (in the main). And at the end they all got up and sang the lovely song, "Make me a channel of your peace", with the preface that this was a prayer associated with St Francis.

One of the guys I'd been teaching the pupils about a few weeks back.

To hear them all singing as well as they did, like a set of contestants for Last Choir Standing, was brilliant. I mean, P7 pupils generally don't sing at all. The definition of 'cool' precludes it.

But these youngsters bucked the trend and sang their hearts out and it was like some choir from heaven!

A quick turn-around and in came the younger children again. The P1-3 assembly.

There's a service for them tomorrow as well, with a harvest theme. So this was the 'value for the month' sort of thing. 'Caring' again.

The Head is good, the way he works through these values with the children every month. And bit by bit I think they're catching on.

I get to do the prayer most weeks and tie it all together in that way. And the children all join in. Enthusiastic prayers as they thank the Lord for everything he gives us all each day.

The mid-morning break I get time with the staff. And today there were teachers to see. There's quite a bit to do in connection with the service here tomorrow which they'll hold.

When I got back here the man who's sorting our database was in, hard at work already on the little, final tasks that're needing done. So a quick word with him and then another rapid turn-around to get out to see a man whose sister died - the service being held tomorrow.

Again.

Not that there's been a thanksgiving service already - I mean that's another service I've got tomorrow!

This man is up in his 90s now. 94 in fact, I think. His wife of almost 60 years was the one who died just two or three weeks ago. Now he's bereaved again.

It must be hard and sore for the man.

From the old it was back to the young. On to Scripture Union across at the school again over lunch.

This was the first time we'd met this year. And there must have been close on 20 children there. It was great.

We don't get long, by the time they've all arrived and settled in, and before the afternoon starts.

But they all seemed to have a wonderful time and they're always so eager to learn. We were on about Solomon today, the choice he had when, early on, God said to ask him for just whatever he wanted.

The man chose wisdom. We gave the children a choice. What did they think he chose. And why? Sort of multiple choice. Wealth, fame or wisdom.

One boy said he thought that he'd choose wisdom, since that would always help him when he had any other choices, later on in life - it would help him to make good choices every time.

The boy's pretty smart already, it seems!

Either that, or he's read the bit in the Bible himself before.

From there it was back round here, touching base with our computer guy, then out and off to call on one of our members here who's had an operation and is now back home.

From there it was back round here, a run round the halls to sort things out with the next lot of bookings in mind. Then back with the school line of work. This time round here.

Some teachers came round with a car full of gifts the children had brought in to school. Harvest gifts.

So we took them all in to the church and set up a massive display and got all the food from the bags and the trays and set it all up at the front. It looked pretty good!

The evening, I thought, might afford me some time for a bit of a catch-up on things that I hadn't got done. But it didn't work out like that at all.

The meeting up town, which I thought might be over quite soon, was in fact really long. And that's me just getting back now.

Another day gone. I don't get it back again.

I remember my Dad used to tell me that. Don't fritter away any day - you don't get them back.

It's something akin to our aiming each day to live life to the full. Filling each day to the brim, so that all of the corners get filled. And filled with the presence of God

What Francis himself was on about as well, I think.