catering

No two days are alike. Which certainly makes for a varied life!

There was the school, for a start. Even that was a little bit different today. For the first time in all of the weeks I've been there the children were being challenged and almost rebuked by the Head. In a gracious sort of way, for sure, but he was getting the message across.

Citizenship was his theme, the value he has for this month.

And today in particular he was on about courage. The need for such courage to be shown by us all as part of what citizenship means. The courage to stand up for what's right. The courage to speak up for others. The courage to stick out your neck and do the right thing.

It's good, educational stuff. He even had to explain what a 'parapet' is.

Courage. It struck a chord, and I almost felt the force of the man's rebuke myself!

It's certainly courage that's needed these days. A boldness from God to stand on his truth and defy all the trends that there are to distort and dilute what he's said.

So 'courage' rang bells in my heart all right. But 'compassion' as well was a theme that the Head man pursued.

And that's been a part of today.

Compassion towards a family where the pain of bereavement is real. There's a service of thanksgiving to be held tomorrow for the person who died. A person I've never met.

I was round seeing the family earlier on this week. I know them a bit, through their girls being at school and their coming along to the services some of the time.

A lovely family. And it's been good to get a small feel of this further dimension, a generation back on the three girls' father's side. It was his mother who'd died.

Her husband and son had prepared a few notes. And that's been a help, as always.

But these notes are no more than the palette of paints from which I've to paint up the portrait of just who this lady had been.

A portrait that's easily recognised: and a portrait that shows up the image of God in each one of our lives as well.

I'm not the world's fastest 'painter', I have to say. It takes me time to craft such a portrait with words.

And a fair bit of time has been spent on just that today. There won't be the time tomorrow.

Today's been about the grief of a very different family too.

A couple who worship, not here, but just down the road - their 30 year old son had died in his sleep out in Australia. The young man, I think, was a hugely charismatic sort of guy, who made a massive impression on just about everyone he met.

Sore beyond words for his parents back here.

There was a memorial service this afternoon at the church-down-the-road. Hundreds of folk turned out. Old and young alike. And then they pitched up here for their cup of tea.

By arrangement. Sort of, anyway.

We hadn't quite realised to start with that it wasn't just the halls that were being booked. It was our catering services too!

But we'd sussed it out by yesterday and so were as much prepared as could be.

We were short on staff, though, with folk being away, so I was drafted in. Serving the teas and the coffees, and things like that.

I enjoy the chance that it gives to mingle with folk. And in the very manner that I serve them to afford them a measure of comfort and care at a time of distress and grief.

One of the ladies asked me which catering company I worked for. 'The best' is the answer, I guess. No one caters for all our needs as well as the Lord.

It's that which I want folk to see.

Now the day has been full of a whole load else. A number of other people - some popping in for a moment or two, some calling by by appointment, some that I've seen in their homes.

People. All with their different needs.

And, yes, that's the bottom line always.

No one caters for all of our needs as well as the Lord. I'm glad, and I count it a privilege indeed, to work for him.