Category: Getting to grips with God stuff

Well I am a Christian…

Guest Post by Erin Hatton: What were you made for?

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, Guest Posts3 Comments

I love making new writing connections and I’m particulalry delighted with my newest 😀
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of being a guest on the blog of Canadian author Erin Hatton.
Today she’s returning the favour.

Now I know there’s plenty of you lovely folk who read this blog but you’re sometimes a bit shy with your ‘comments’ – please show some love for Erin eh? 

And so without further ado…

What were you made for?
by Erin Hatton

piano square_4551000445Recently my sister-in-law and I were talking about our love of music. You see, we both sing and play piano at our churches – albeit with stellar musicians – but we both love classical music and miss playing in a more … shall we say “high brow” environment.

She expressed a concern that wanting to play classical music purely for her own enjoyment was selfish – that she should be using her energy to play in a church environment.

That didn’t sit right with me. It brought to mind all the preconceived notions we have about ministry. Whether we’re aware of it or not, we tend to think of certain activities as more spiritual than others. Giving your life to full-time ministry is somehow better than working at a garage. Singing in church is more important than singing in the shower.

Not to devalue those who devote their lives to ministry. We need that. But if all anyone ever did was ministry, what would happen to the church?

Look at the metaphor of the Body of Christ: “God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?” (I Cor. 12:18-19 NIV)

you're free to be who you were mean to be
you’re free to be who you were meant to be

One of the beautiful things about the Church is its diversity. We are called to minister in many ways. We are called to worship in many ways. There’s a need for the stay-at-home mom chatting with neighbourhood parents at the park just as much as the pastor preaching from the pulpit on Sunday morning. God loves hearing us sing Handel just as much as Hillsong. The point is where our heart is at. Are we following Him wholeheartedly? Are we thanking him for the beautiful things he made for us to enjoy? Are we living the way he made us to live,
or are we trying to fit into the wrong mould because we think it’s more spiritual?

So I encourage you to really evaluate, as I am doing, what it is that you were made for. And don’t spend a single moment more on someone else’s job.

Erin E. M. Hatton is a Christian fiction writer from Ontario, Canada with several short stories and one novel in print. Her book Otherworld was shortlisted for the top award in Canadian Christian fiction in 2012. Erin lives with her husband Kevin and four young children.

Website / Blog: www.erinemhatton.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/erinemhatton
Twitter: @ErinEMHatton

Photo credits:
Piano Magic photo credit: teobonjour – www.matteomignani.it via photopin cc
Freedom photo credit: J. Star via photopin cc

No yets or buts!

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff2 Comments

I was reading a blog post the other day and it was a letter to God. This man’s friend has a child who is very ill and the writer was so frustrated that none of his prayers were being answered. He said he has been defending God to the parents of the sick child but he confessed that inwardly he isn’t as sure of God’s love and power as he was proclaiming.

It reminded me of some of David’s psalms – where he pours out his heart to God.
Why do you let the people perish?
Why do you let evil prosper?
Where are you when it hurts?
Can you hear me?
Are you even there?

But one thing you often find in these psalms is… a ‘but’ or ‘yet’. I’m paraphrasing again but you often read…

Things are crap, but I will praise you.
My world is falling apart, yet I will trust you.

This is missing from the blog post. It ended with no answers, just more questions.

I can safely say that I’ve spent the bulk of my Christian life totally confused about what God is up to. I don’t have a crisis of faith, in the sense that I have no doubt that He is there – and I believe the Bible and the glowing character reference it gives God. But like me, the writer of that blog post feels as if, verses that say things like, ‘your ways are not our ways and your thoughts are not our thoughts’ are just not enough.

I was going to challenge the guy though and suggest that he should do a bit more trusting and a bit less complaining. But I didn’t and I’m glad I didn’t. At that moment I remembered an email I’d send to a Christian a while ago, I mentioned I was struggling with some stuff and asked for prayer. The reply came that I should stop complaining and rejoice in the victory that God has given me.
I will probably never ask that person for prayer again and or share a struggle with them. Even if they are right and I’m wrong – the response did nothing to warm my cold heart that day.

It’s very easy to thump someone on the shoulder and tell them to rejoice in their sufferings. Sometimes too easy. A valley usually only looks pretty when you’re viewing it from the top.  When you’re down deep in it, the view is never as good.

These verses in Habakkuk 3 always come to mind when I’m pondering stuff like this.  And I’m sure I’ve shared them before…

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Even though it looks like I have nothing to thank you for, I’m going to thank you anyway. I actually do believe that because of who He is, God is worthy of our praise regardless of my state of mind or heart.
But my state of mind and heart sometimes makes it harder to praise him.

I suppose I was affected by the blog post cos of the empty questioning that sounded like it would never be answered. I was hoping for the ‘but’ and ‘yet’ at the end of the post and it never came.
That doesn’t meant that I can’t add it tho… 

I really do thank God for His unconditional love!
If I was in charge I’d have given up on me a long time ago! 🙂

Dear Twitter…

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, Random Ramblings, Writing, Blogging etc16 Comments

Dear Twitter

Let me get one thing straight before I start. You know that phrase, “it’s not you… it’s me”?

Well I’m fairly sure it’s you! 

I used to have so much fun with you. You were a place for great craic, plenty of banter and discussion about stuff I knew little about. I was ok with that, it was an education. I followed lots of people for lots of reasons and created my lists so I could look at writers and family and Christians etc separately if I wanted to.

I’ve spent a lot of time building my profile in your world. I’m no Nicki Minaj (on many levels) but 3000 followers is not nothing – and me trying to establish myself as some sort of writer, it’s a good place to be in.

I’ve met some clever people along the way, with differing views about differing subjects. Sometimes I was brave enough to chip in, other times I’d just sit and watch it go by. 

I remember the first time I saw #vinb. I thought the world had gone mad. I watched the programme a couple of times and quickly realised it wasn’t for me. But the hashtag was enough anyway. At first it was entertaining to see folk set their hair on fire about stuff. Then I noticed #rtept, #marian, #miriam and #twip, and it seemed some folk only appeared on Twitter when these hashtags were burning bright.

Something changed a few months ago and suddenly you weren’t so much fun anymore. A couple of topics rose to the surface and you became a place where I had to put up or shut up. Differing opinions were no longer welcome. The minority voice which in economic and social subjects was championed, was now told to be silent.

The senator, the professor, the clergymen, the I.I. director and most of that ilk get hauled over the coals every time they open their mouths. Insulted, criticised, mocked and hung out to dry. On the rare occasion someone gets a slap on the wrist for mocking, the wagons are circled… “poor you – how could anyone be so mean….?” 

Eh, yeah… that was my question, but about you – not to you.

I tried to be brave and stepped in a few times, but I was out of my depth. I watch as the overzealous fringe of Christian opinion is regularly dragged through your streets RT’d and RT’d again so everyone can have a good laugh.

In that last few days I’ve watched the RTs stack up of the clip of the New Zealand MP and his hilarious account of some of the contact he’s had from people who disagreed with him. He had the whole of the chamber in stitches laughing as he described some of the comments, he did a clever science experiment & used a Bible verse to seal the deal (completely out of context, but hey the Christians do it; so what?!). It was like an episode of Mock the Week, or is it ‘mock the weak’? 

I suppose I could just unfollow a load of people, or re-jig my lists. Grab one of my gay friends who I love (and who love me back) and ask them to assure you that I’m not homophobic. Explain how love for family, childlessness, & love for life are as much reasons for my prolife stance as any Bible verse I may wave at you. But Twitter, you steal my voice, you silence me. I sit at an empty blog post, finger poised over the keyboard and I can’t speak. I swore only a year ago that I’d never let that happen again.

When I finally realised I was a writer and said it out loud for the first time, I was determined never to let anyone convince me other wise. I was going to say what I wanted to say. But you put a stop to that. Or maybe I just let you.

Either way, you stifle me. You smother me. You make me cry. And if you were a boyfriend…. any true friend of mine would be asking me why I haven’t dumped you a long time ago.
The annoying thing is that you’re exactly like that crazy boyfriend I used to have – I’m finding it really hard to let you go, even though I know you’re bad for me and things are about to get a whole lot worse.

@auntyamo needs a break from you. Let’s see if I can live without you for a while.
I’ll miss you – a bit.

A x

P.S Thanks to all the Tweeters who noticed my recent comments about leaving and were nice enough to say ‘don’t go’. If you really can’t live without me follow @amowriting But it’s a politics free zone. God knows I need it! 

What Pope Francis made me think about.

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuffLeave a comment

As you’ll see from my last post, I’ve been working on fiction over the last few weeks. So today I’ll share someone else’s heavenly thoughts 😉
The lovely Ana Mullan

anamullan's avatarAncora Imparo

Because I come from Argentina and I come from the same city as Pope Francis, I have found that people like to ask me what I think of him or share with me articles or interviews, and I am grateful for that. I had never heard of Jorge Bergoglio before as I haven’t lived in Buenos Aires now for 29 years. However, because he comes from Argentina, I tend to pay a bit more of attention about what he says and does now that he is the new pope.

A friend of mine shared a clip of an interview with him, done a few years ago by the president of Youth with a mission in Argentina. In it, he asks Bergoglio, future pope Francis, the difference between a nominal Christian and a committed Christian. It was his answer but made me think a lot about my relationship with Jesus. He…

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Wishing to be lovely

On By auntyamoIn Family, Getting to grips with God stuff10 Comments

On Good Friday evening I was at our church service. I had one of those experiences that you hear people talk about… I’ve heard this song a million times but today one of the lines jumped out at me.

We were singing the hymn ‘My Song is Love Unknown’, written by Samuel Crossman  (1623-1683). It’s been recorded by a number of people but I particularly love Keith and Kristyn Getty’s version of it. She has a beautiful voice.

So there I was, singing away – not like Kristyn Getty – the first verse says this…

My song is love unknown
my Saviour’s love for me
Love to the loveless giv’n, that they might lovely be…

and like I say, I’ve heard and sung it so many times; but I couldn’t sing anymore cos it struck me that I’ve always wanted to be lovely.

It is a vain wish, but I’ve always wanted to be beautiful.
As you probably know, I have many gorgeous nieces. There is a vague family resemblance to one or two of them, but I share an identical crooked tooth with one of them. Recently she pointed at mine and said, “Did you give that to me?” I was proud to say that I did and I’m delighted to have even the tiniest resemblance to this gorgeous girl.

Now before you give me all your, “Ah Amo you ARE lovely, would you stop!” (which I presume, well… hope, you’re all geared up for :D) I’m not saying I think I’m plug ugly. I just have this immature wish to be gorge!

The song stopped me in my tracks because it’s another thing that has been accomplished by the love of Christ, shown in His death and resurrection of Christ.
It has made us lovely.

My crooked tooth is only one on a long, very very long list of imperfections.
But on this Easter Day I am reminded that I am loved; and lovely.

Messy Love

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuffLeave a comment

I was never a great one for preserving stuff for Sunday best. If I bought something new , I didn’t want to wait until Sunday to wear it; I wanted to wear it leaving the shop. I think my mother despaired of me a lot of the time cos she felt I’d no respect for my stuff; or myself. As a child I often had to be told to go back upstairs to clean my nails again and when I was a teen dressed in sloppy black clothes and equally sloppy make up, she just used to sigh and shake her head. I’d wear raggedy old jeans with my brand new top and she’d say, “would you not keep that top for something special?!” It never occurred to me…

I can do posh if I HAVE to!
I can do posh
if I HAVE to!

Good things had to be kept for good days. The ‘Sunday best’ concept comes from the same idea. In days when people spent their days up to their eyeballs in coal dust, farmland muck and terry towling nappies to wash, many people only had one set of ‘good’ clothes and they were for Sunday; when no one ‘worked’ and most folk went to church.

Another thing that used to drive my mam mad was when I wore ‘good’ clothes to do messy work. If I was forced to clean the car, help in the garden, tidy my room or even wash the dishes (none of these things were ever done willingly), her first comment was always, “would you not change out of those clothes first?!” So not only had I to do stuff I didn’t want to, but I had to do it wearing clothes I didn’t want to wear.
Can you see what a nightmare I was to live with….? (WAS? :D)

And weren’t we all taught not to spoil anything good to clean up a mess? If the washing machine floods all over the floor we don’t run for the new fluffy white towels that we bought last week. We get the old ones that we don’t mind parting with. We don’t get a brand new 100% cotton sheet from the hotpress and put it over the sofa while we paint the ceiling. We go rummaging til we find an old worn one with a hole in it that we were planning to throw out any way.

Photo by Vicky Miti. Used with permissionIt’s Good Friday and Christians around the world use this day to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary. There was no way around it, sin had to be atoned for. The Old Testament (OT) shows how God’s creation was spoiled and from that moment He was working out His plan to redeem mankind. The OT is long and complicated in many ways but really it’s the story of a journey. The people of God learning the pure and perfect requirements of  a Holy God and spending most of their time doing the opposite of what they were told to do. All the time God kept sending people to say, “No, not that way… THIS way.”

The message of the prophets was a continual call for repentance. But for the people of God, repenting in their own strength was a bit like using old, raggedy towels trying to clean up the mess. Every time it seemed clean again. There’d be another spillage and another clean up was needed.

Then God did something strange but beautiful. He took the best thing he had and laid it down to clean up the mess. Like a snow-white towel on a filthy wet flooded floor, Jesus took all the mess and dirt upon himself. He was buried in a tomb covered in the manky dross of the world – past, present and future. And as if that wasn’t fantastic enough… three days later he came back out of the tomb and he was snow-white again.

Give it some thought this weekend! I know the world doesn’t look like there’s anything ‘snow white’ at the moment. But I’d urge you to lift your eyes and look up. Look at the Cross. Look at Jesus and consider how God used the best that He had to clean up a mess.
He held nothing back because He loves you.

Did you hear that?

He loves you!

Happy Easter x

Joseph and my amazing nephew!

On By auntyamoIn Family, Getting to grips with God stuff1 Comment

Last night I had another in a long list of #proudaunty moments. My nephew Bobby played the lead role in The Now and Then Production Company’s (N&T) Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. He was joined by a fantastic cast and crew in St. Mary’s Priory, Tallaght, Dublin.

I was on the same stage 14 years ago in a performance of The Song of Mark and a lot of the folk on stage last night, were there with me back in the day. So as well as a great night of entertainment, it was a bit of a reunion. None of us have changed a bit by the way… ahem *coughs 😉

The 11 brothers were a total hoot, the 4 narrators were fabulous – amazing voices, the orchestra, pit singers and cute-as-a-button children’s choir produced wonderful music and the dancing was just great!

But as well as the ‘big production’, N&T want to bring gospel stories to life. Last night was also about the message within the story of Joseph. Scorned and duped by his brothers, pursued by an unfaithful woman, punished unjustly and jailed. Then, when everything was restored and Joseph’s brothers were grovelling at his feet (as Joseph’s dreams had predicted years earlier…) this was his response.

Photograph by Philip McShane for N&T
Photograph by Philip McShane for N&T
“Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.  So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21 NIV

I had a really busy day today. I spent a lot of it in the car which gives great time for thinking. And I thought about the message of Joseph – how horrible circumstances inflicted upon us by others can be used by God to bring about great things.

It’s not always easy to believe or put into practise so it’s great to be reminded that “for those who love God all things work to gether for good.” Romans 8:28 ESV

Photo by Philip McShane for N&T
Photo by Philip McShane for N&T

Huge congratulations to everyone involved. It’s great to see The Now and Then Production Company back on the stage. If you’re looking for more information you can check out their blog and their Facebook group.

For I know I shall find my own peace of mind, for I have been promised a land of my own.

Girls, repeat after me….

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, Random Ramblings2 Comments

I must use anti-aging cream
I must use anti-aging cream
I must use…

I’m about to finish Year 1 of the decade where life begins. It turns out that Dolly Parton was right when she said in the classic film Steel Magnolias, “Time marches on and soon you realise that it’s marching right across your face”

I’ll be only booooshiful!

Thankfully I did start to make a vague effort to look after my skin about 5 years ago.
Someone bought me some posh moisturiser!
I know… swish! I got a bit snobby about it and decided not to use anything else if I could help it. This is achieved mainly by dropping hints to some of the family at Christmas and birthdays.
Most of the time it pays off.

I don’t have a problem with being 40. Well ok, I do have one… I don’t feel 40! I don’t think I look 40 either. But then what does 40 look like?

I suppose if you’re rich and famous and can hire someone to put your washing in the machine and someone else to take it out – the stresses and strains of life may not show themselves as they might on those of us who have to do those and a million other things ourselves. And people who have ‘staff’ usually have them in other areas of life. Not least in the makeup and hair dept.

I’d be happy if I could afford to hire someone to search my bed for the scrunchie each morning!

The anti-aging cream purchase is precarious, and not just when buying it for yourself. When buying it for others you have to be careful. Too young and they’re offended. To old and you get it back yourself for your birthday – and now you have it, with two reasons to offended!

Wrinkles are only the start of it. My face may or may not be showing the years but the rest of me is definitely feeling them. I’ve got a jippy hip, dodgy eyes and my knees are none too steady either! And let’s not even talk about the generousity of my proportions.

BUT… there is hope! 😀 I believe what Paul says in 1Corinthians 15 that when I get to Heaven, I’ll get a brand new body! I’m hoping I get to choose my own. Maybe there’ll be a showroom…

I'd prefer a chocolate one...
I’d prefer a chocolate one…

One way or another while we’re on this earth, if we don’t want to end up with the complexion of a digestive biscuit we really should try to look after our skin.

Obviously it’s up to you. But I’m nearly sure that in beauty school they’ll tell you….

The punishment for not using anti-aging cream
is usually… 100 lines!   😦

Heavenly Haiku – Faith, Hope and Love

On By auntyamoIn Getting to grips with God stuff, PoetryLeave a comment

Faith
Faith they say, a gift
Believe that you will receive
the present you want

Hope
Is it need or want?
Is there any difference?
I really hope so

Love
Unconditional
is HIS love for you and me
Why not love HIM back

The Half Circle of Life

On By auntyamoIn Family, Getting to grips with God stuff, Poetry, Random Ramblings5 Comments

Round and round it goes.
The whirligig of life.
No stopping it, impossible to catch
There it goes, hatch, match, dispatch.
Babby becomes mammy and she becomes granny
And around we go again.

It’s a wonderful thing.

The next generation consoles the loss of the last
The sights and sounds of new life ease the pain of absence, a salve.

But I’m stuck with this half circle
It keeps moving one way but refuses to come back around.
I feel the benefits and blessings of the salve of others
They ease the sting.

But the absence for me is doubled-up pain
and never more than on this day.
Each year Mother’s Day comes around
It holds my half circle in front of me
I look at it and smile through tears
For in it I see my 27

Dedicated to the memory of my mother, and to my 27 nieces and nephews.