Teapot Ramblings

Well on this Sunday evening here I am wandering back to the dear old Teapot. For those of you who come here through some totally unconnected-to-church-and-Christian-things route then be assured that I am fully intending to post something other than sermons... most often in the past it has proved to be something not quite so eternally significant (not that my sermons are eternally significant, but hopefully the God they point to!) - like the London train system, Cadfael books and VW Camper Vans (what a bizarre collection of interests I have!). But your patience is appreciated when on a Saturday night I hang around here with the RevGals, going through what-I'm-offering-tomorrow-angst and hoping that someone will come and post glowing encouragements about what I'm planning to hit my congregation with the next morning! Of course this is the real world and it doesn't work that way - for one thing I suspect God's been trying to teach me for many years to depend on him for encouragement and look to him for confidence - but I'm better at being convinced of his worth than mine in his service. Isn't it funny how you can have such a desire to get across to the wonderful bunch of people that meet with you Sunday by Sunday as church, that THEY are of such value and worth to God, that he loves them and can see all they are and all they can be - but at the same time you can feel completely inadequate to the task because you all too easily forget it yourself! Now if only God had managed to find the blogspot comments box and pop in... Anyway, perhaps while this is resembling something more like a mini sermon and before I move back to trains or other momentous topics I will just add at least that I hope (and pray) that when I tell them of this love and worth and value that they hear it because I'm privileged to serve such wonderful people who deserve to really know this deep down and with all of their being!
It's quite good actually to stop on one of the rollercoaster days when the coaster is dipping downwards and discouragements outweigh perceived achievements, when the music was a bit stodgy and the numbers were low and the sermon seemed dull... that Jesus was still in it!
"The Lord is here!" "His Spirit is with us!" how amazing was that... and not being a mind reader I now have to leave it all with God and pray that he'll stick close to his people (sometimes through me or others) and keep hold of them as they journey on through the week.

Now, as for those trains....