View From The Manse
St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, writes
Dear Folks,
Guinny our motorhome is no longer with
us. She suffered a serious clutch and gearbox fault while at the Rockness
Festival on Loch Ness and was reluctantly beyond economic repair. She will be
fixed though as the garage owner’s son in law was interested in buying
her and hopefully he will have as much pleasure as we have.
As a result of this we went on to ebay
and bid for another van. To our surprise our bid won and we now have a Ford
Transit motorhome. We have yet to name it (suggestions welcome.)
It is different in many ways with a
totally new layout inside and is diesel rather than petrol. We have had one
night away last Friday and it looks like we are back in business. Changes will
have to be made in how we do things but then that just mirrors life where often
plans have to be revised and new solutions found.
But change can be a positive
experience if we want it to be. It stimulates thought and can bring us alive.
Think of the changes in the disciples’ lives and how many of them felt so
strongly that the change was right for them, that they were willing to die
believing that. Change is a challenge but don’t fear it face it
God Bless You All
Peter.
In May, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
Dear Folks,
Many of you will have seen our cat,
Sasha, around Rosefield Place. She I quite distinctive as she has only three legs
due to an accident. She often accompanies me across to the Church and sits
outside till I come back out. Last Saturday she could be found outside the hall
door while the Spring Fayre was on.
She doesn’t come in to the hall
or church. I wonder why that is ?
Perhaps she somehow feels unwelcome and fears that if she came in she
would quickly be chased out. Perhaps she is naturally apprehensive about the
unknown. Somehow I don’t think it is the latter as like most cats she is
incredibly curious. What is it that keeps people outside the Church ? Are they
not curious about what happens there ? Do they feel that they would not be
welcome? I know they would be welcome because you are a friendly congregation.
However often the difficulty is that
to come alone is difficult. Maybe you have a friend or neighbour who only needs
an invite to come with you to let them experience the fellowship of our church
family. Remember that’s how the disciple Peter came to know Jesus. His
brother Andrew brought him along. If you believe that coming together in
worship is an important part of our faith then keep an eye open for others who
may just need a word from you to share what you have
In April, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
Dear Folks,
As I write this there is a strong
gusty wind blowing and the trees are being bent over. Because they are not
covered in leaves the wind passes through and they soon return to their upright
position.
It is often said one has to bend with
the wind. It makes life easier and causes less friction in relationships.
As Christians that might not be good
advice. It would mean a compromise of our beliefs so as to not upset the
world’s views. It would mean we accept being pushed from the centre of
life to being of only minor importance.
Often God’s Spirit is compared
to a wind. We must let this wind drive us along into the heart of every matter,
challenging the injustices of life, fighting for the oppressed and upholding
the worth of every human being.
When we let God blow us along we
don’t know where we will be taken. This though is what makes life exiting
and if God is with us, what do we have to fear.
God Bless You All
Peter
In March, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
Dear Folks,
I don’t know if you like quiz programmes
on TV but I do. I am also part of a team that meet sometimes to take part in a
pub quiz. We just enjoy the fun of the night. No, that’s not right. We
want to win.
We are all very competitive and strive
to reach into our memories for answers. We have had success but I recommend you
don’t say the words ‘One Tomato’ in our presence. That is the
name of our greatest rivals.
No matter how much one knows there are
always a number of facts that are new to us. One of our regular phrases is
“I didn’t know that but I won’t forget it”. We try to
learn something from each quiz. This week’s nugget of knowledge came from
the question “where do Panama Hats come from?”. The not so obvious
answer is Ecuador. Maybe that is news to you.
It made me think how wonderful life is
because we are always exposed to new ideas and facts. Each new day is a
potential learning experience. I have also found that the longer I live, I find
I learn more and more about the wonder of God’s creation and I hope I
never tire of this opportunity to grow. What have you learned today ?
God Bless You All
Peter
In January, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
Dear Folks,
2010 has
arrived and no doubt somebody around you has said the immortal words ‘I
hope it’s a better year than last year. Somehow at the turn of the year
we have the habit of remembering
the bad bits of the past. If we must look back then let’s try to recall
the good bits. The laughs we had, the amazing experiences, the cheerful family
occasions. I would be surprised if you cannot find some of these.
So what
of this new year. Let us try to make some good memories for us to recall in a
year’s time. Let us have a positive attitude to life. Remember the sun is
always shining each new day even if a few clouds make it invisible to us. Faith
removes the clouds and lets us smile in the sunshine of God’s love. It is
always there for us. Have a great 2010. Let’s build it together with God.
Happy New Year, God Bless You All
In December, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
Recently I
was raking up the leaves from the back garden. I was very pleased with the
finished result as the grass was now visible and free to grow healthily next
year un-choked by the leaves. Next morning I was less pleased to see that once again
the grass was covered in leaves.
There are many tasks in life that need repeated over and over and over
again. It can become boring tedious and indeed annoying. Christmas can
sometimes seem like a task. We say thank goodness it only comes once a year.
But think
for a moment. This is a time to thank god for his expression of love to us in
entering this world in the person of Jesus.
If it is a
task we have missed the meaning. If we get the meaning the ‘I wish it
could be Christmas every day,’ would be our song. Remembering how God
loves each and every one of us always.
Have a
great Christmas (now and every day)
God’s
Blessing be with you all
Peter
In November, St James’ Minister, Peter Webster, wrote
It was said to me recently that I have never mentioned my
bowling in view from the Manse. Well I’ll remedy that now. Bowls is a
relatively straightforward game. The aim is to get your bowls closer to the
Jack (that’s a little white ball that has been rolled up the green) than
your opponents bowls. Only two things are required and that is to use the
correct weight and aim in the right direction (taking into account that your
bowls will run in a curved line and not straight). That seems simple enough,
only two things to do.
The problems come with stepping on to the green. There might
be a wind, or it might be damp underfoot and therefore can change throughout
the game as it dries out. The grass might have just been cut and your bowls
will run faster than the day before. The only answer to all these problems is
to play more and get a feel for the game. Practice makes perfect as they say
(well better anyway)
Christianity is relatively straightforward. Only two things
required. Believe in Jesus Christ and follow his example. The aim is to direct
your life to become an expression of the perfect love of God. The problems come
by being distracted from our aim by the demands of the world around us, or the
seeming need to earn more, own more, gain status, and by letting ourselves
become controlled by these.
The answer comes by getting back to focussing on what it
means to try to live like Jesus and as we practice that more and more we become
more perfect (well better anyway). Let’s practice together. God Bless You
All.
Peter