Remembering Easter

Green palm fronds lead
Brown mule on through
Cheers of man with
Knees bent down.

Whipped and flayed, cold
Steel digs deep, no
Word or curse, just
Bares the pain.

Red stained hands nail
Flesh of God to
Brown wood cross for
Sins of man.

Christ lies dead in
Tomb of shame while
Pained mum wept and
Friends just hide

But He lives, white
Robes swept clean; why
Did He die? For
You my friend.

The Watoto Children's Choir

The Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda just visited Windsor Park. I am left somewhat speechless at exactly what happened to me during their visit but it was one of those things that makes your heart both crush in agony and explode with joy.

It is one thing to watch advertising that states the fact that something like 8,500 adults die of aids everyday in Africa or to see pictures of children that need sponsors just simply to live and breathe, the two things I take most seriously for granted; However, it is an entirely different thing to see the effect of it right in front of your eyes. To see a choir of children dancing and singing with such joy in Christ, for them to proclaim that they rejoice in Christ for what he has given them, even though they have lost one or both of their parents to aids, was overwhelming. It was that sensation of grief that such a thing was possible to happen to so many people and yet the power of their joy interspersed my tears with laughter.

I am ashamed with my pathetic attempts to praise God for the good he has done for me; their praises filled our church, and our praises barely register on a decibel meter...

hmm..it seems to be about 6 months in between bouts of blog writing at the moment, I wonder if it is simply a representation of how I have happened to structure my life, leaving very little time for the musing of the mind, or if nothing particularly revelational has happened to me in 6 months.

Regardless, tonight was a night of firsts. Tonight was the first time (at least for a number of years) I actually seriously thought about not going to church...that would have been a big mistake - I would have missed out on another first, I actually introduced someone new to the church to someone else in the church. That might sound stupid to some people but I have never been comfortable with people that I know coming into the church I go to (regardless of the strength of their faith.) I guess I just would always be concerned about the things in my community that I didn’t want other people to see, but tonight i was reminded it was not my business where God wants to call people to; So I must make people feel more than welcome, and not be embarrassed with the things that are out of my control at Windsor.

"Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me." Luke 7:18

Its amazing how you can read a verse so many times, and still not understand the implications of it fully