trained in the faith

A bit of personal history to start with.

My great grand-father was a Train.

That was his name, I hasten to add. Not his vocation.

By calling he was a preacher and pastor. Rev John Gilkison Train.

A man for whom, although I never met the guy at all, I have enormous gratitude and affection. He was a good and godly man. And he left the legacy of his vibrant faith in Jesus Christ right down through each succeeding generation of his family.

He had two wives (not simultaneously in case you're wondering) and a large number of children.

My grandmother belonged to the second (smaller) batch.

The children he had by his first wife included a son called Thomas. He got called Tom - not, I think, to avoid confusion with Thomas the (Tank Engine) Train, since that set of stories had yet to be conceived: and he went out to Africa as, I think, some sort of medical missionary.

He had quite a large family, too. Pretty much all of whom stayed on out in Africa - and most of their children as well.

One of those children - Tom's grandchildren, if you're still with me - is called Angela. That's her on the right of the picture below (with, working left, her daughter, her son-in-law, and her husband).

Since Tom belonged to the first large batch of J G Train progeny (and my grandmother belonged to the second string), you'll appreciate that Angela is a good deal older than I am. Although, relationally, the same generation.

She married a guy called Mike and together they have sought to follow Christ. They've lived in Zimbabwe (as it's called these days) for decades now. Running a farm and game park.

And the two of them have dared to challenge Robert Mugabe. They've not sold out and fled the land in the face of all that they, and many others, have had to face. They've not started waving the white flag (if you'll pardon the pun) and surrendered in the face of violence, terror and threats.

They've stood their ground and prayed to God and looked to him who is the righteous Judge.

And last year Mike even dared to take Mugabe to court.

There's a film that's been made about this guy and today I was sent a note of the website where details about this forthcoming film can be found.

It's worth checking out yourself. Click on the poster above for the link.

I'm humbled, but glad, to be closely related to folk like this. To trace the same descent.

Not just those generations back to JG Train. But the same descent of faith.

These are folk who seek very simply to walk humbly with their God, to love mercy:

And to act justly.

You have to be bold and courageous to live like that.

On my eighteenth birthday, I still recall, my grandmother wrote me a letter. It wasn't long, a single side of shaky, grandmaternal writing.

And all that she did in the letter was give me a quote from the Bible and urge me to live like that.

Micah 6.8 - "What does the Lord require of you but to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."

I was struck by the fact that news of this film came through to me today. Because it's issues of justice and fairness with which I'm grappling too.

There aren't that many things I lose any sleep about. But this is certainly one.

And with the lunch-time service tomorrow coming up I've had to be giving some thought to just this issue again.

Joseph and his brothers when at last they meet. And why he treats them as he does. Which is neither revenge nor a 'white-wash'. But something in between.

Justice and mercy combined.

'Justice', I figure, is basically where our instincts lie. Tit for tat. Pay-back time. That sort of thing.

And 'mercy', I think, is often a whole load easier. Sweep it under the carpet. Forget it ever happened. Hope it goes away. Avoid all confrontation.

I was challenged in pondering Joseph. He goes for the Micah approach. Justice and mercy together.

My grandmother would have been proud of him.

As I am today of Angela, Mike and their family.

I'm with them all the way. Rooting for them. Praying for them and with them.

And trying to handle the issues with which I'm grappling today in a similar sort of way.

Mercy without any justice is far too soft. It's just a simple cop-out.

Justice without any mercy is far too hard. It's just revenge.

My Gran was right.