priorities

A good deal of a Thursday morning is taken up by things at the school. There are regularly two assemblies, one at 9am and the next at 10am. And then there's the SU group at 12.30pm.

I enjoy the access I get at the school and count it a genuine privilege. But it does tend to mean that there's not so much time for all that much else. A lot of other things I'm conscious that I could perhaps be doing.

'Other things'. The bane of most of our lives.

Jim Elliot, martyred half a century and more ago in Ecuador, once wrote these famous words -

"He makes His ministers a flame of fire. Am I ignitible? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of 'other things.' Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame. But flame is transient, often short lived. Canst thou bear this, my soul - short life? ... Make me thy fuel, Flame of God."

The dread asbestos of 'other things'.

Thursdays put things in focus. I choose to go along to the school. I see the opportunities there are as being so very special. People. Children. Open and eager and hungry for truth. And the chance to share with them Jesus.

The 'other things', no matter how important, can surely wait.

We had another great time at the SU group today. We told them the story of Jesus and the man born blind. And we did so in a fairly 'visual' way.

The story was told from the lips of the man himself.

Blind. Begging by the roadside. The sound of people passing by and stopping. The name 'Jesus'.

The sound of a man spitting. And then the sensation of mud being plastered on his eyes (except in our case it was a thick chocolate sauce - much to the consternation and then amusement of the children).

The clear command of Jesus to go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Feeling his way down the road to the pool. Washing his face in the water.

Then opening his eyes and ... SEEING! For the first time in his life.

It's a powerful story. The Jesus that Scripture is all about remains the same today. Someone we can know. Someone able to change our lives as well.

The children all listened intently.

And then there were all sorts of questions to do with the here and the now. Can we see Jesus now? Is Jesus everywhere?

One of the girls explained how a girl in her year, who "doesn't believe", had told her yesterday that she'd actually prayed - and "it worked!"

And then she'd asked this girl who comes to the SU group - "what should I do now?"

Christian counselling starts at a pretty young age!

It's a thrill to see how the Lord is at work in the school.

I'm hoping that on the last Sunday in June, instead of our usual evening service of worship, we'll be able to share in a pulsing celebration of God's work among young people at this time. With the children and young folk themselves being the ones whose voices we hear. The Lord at work in their lives.

So some of my time today has been spent as well in trying to set this up. Contacting folk and calling on folk and trying to ensure there'll be those who are willing to speak.

It should be a great occasion. For those of you who are here or hereabouts at the time - mark it in your diaries now! Sunday June 27th - from early evening on. It'll do your spirits good.

God deliver me from the dread asbestos of 'other things'. Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit, that I may be aflame.