No money left?

The question of resources will be important over the coming weeks, as the coalition government wrestles with how to balance the national budget through making cuts in key areas. The new Chief Secretary to the Treasury revealed that his predecessor left him a note saying: 'I'm afraid there's no money left; good luck!'

The Duchess of York has been trapped by a Sunday paper asking for £500,000 for introductions to her former husband Prince Andrew which perhaps shows the desperation felt by those with no resources – though many commentators wonder whether it says more about the paper's desperation to increase circulation.

In the second half of the week, the readings in Acts focus on the conflict between Peter and the Jewish authorities, at a time when BA is enmeshed in conflict with cabin crew and there is continued serious conflict in Thailand, once famed for its peacefulness. In Paris, French farmers managed to find an altogether more peaceful way of making their protests known.

The remarkable provision of God, and courage of leadership in the face of conflict, leads to a boldness for all the believers. Stories of courage this week include the conquest of Everest by Bonita Norris, the youngest British woman to do so. The courage of bomb-disposal experts is also making news in the light of the apparent lack of resources.

Surprisingly, in the context of so many other technologies, radio listening has reached an all-time high which could have important implications for the communication of the gospel.

Ian Paul

Tales of the unexpected

In this week's WordLive readings we focus on the events of the first Pentecost and the birth of the Church. A key theme throughout Acts is the bursting in of the unexpected, which then turns out to be a new expression of what God has in fact always been doing. ‘This is that’, explains Peter (Acts 2:16, AV).

Interestingly, Luke introduces all this as the legacy, or perhaps even continuing ministry of Jesus himself. This week there has been plenty of reflection on the legacy of Gordon Brown’s leadership: was it one of towering achievements or massive flaws? As in Acts (5:38,39), only time will tell.

There is plenty in the news about the unexpected. The unpredictable (and unpronounceable!) Icelandic volcano once again seems set to upset our well-organised travel plans. And the continuing crisis in Greece is making people rethink their assumptions about how Europe should work.

But alongside the unexpected bad comes the unexpected good – sometimes in spite of it, sometimes because of it.

Who thought that England would beat Australia in an international cricket competition? Or that gold would be found in Cornish mines?

That a teenage girl would defeat hard-bitten shepherds in a sheepdog trial, or that a boy born blind would learn to ‘see’ using clicks and echoes? Even the left-handed are better off than we thought they were.

Yet the breaking in of the new and unexpected demands new patterns of living (Acts 2:43–47); new wine needs new wineskins. We continue to find it a struggle to develop healthy patterns of living in response to the demands of technology.

Ian Paul

Did you have a spiritual Bank Holiday?

We just had a Bank Holiday in the UK. A day when the weekend gets extended and people all over the country get on with DIY or get away for a break. Both of these activities are ways of reassessing who and what we are. DIY enables us to get rid of the old and bring in the new, while a nice break is designed to refresh the parts other Mondays can not reach.

But what about our spiritual selves? Do we have some specific time to reassess how we are doing in our spiritual relationship? Do we believe input from church on Sundays and perhaps at home group is sufficient? Does visiting WordLive everyday fulfil our spiritual check-up?

I'm not suggesting that we need to do more, but I am suggesting we take stock once in a while. It is easy to get stuck in a spiritual rut and simply go through the motions. Why not take some time to give your spirituality a check up; a spiritual Bank Holiday? Take some time to reassess and recommit to meeting God through the Bible and prayer - oh, and Wordlive is quite a good way to help you with that.