The Gate in Swindon

The Gate in Swindon town Centre (near Iceland) is a new charity shop, being run by Dawn Prosser who also runs the Gateway Furniture Project with her husband Kevin. (gatewaychurchswindon.org.uk/gateway-furniture). The building is shared with Healthy Planet (healthyplanet.org), an organisation that gives books away for free to save them from landfill.

It's much more than a charity shop though. It's set out really well. On the ground floor are the free books (you can take three at a time) and some furniture for sale, as well as adult clothes and shoes. Upstairs is a well thought-out baby/toddler play area as well as children's books and toys. There is also a cafe area, where you can have free tea or coffee. Yes, free!

It's a welcoming place and the volunteers are always friendly and ready to chat. Currently there are 17 volunteers who help out, but more are needed. If you don't have much spare time but can bake, why not bake some cakes for the shop? Please contact Dawn if you can help.

All sorts of people from different backgrounds use the shop and it serves the community of Swindon well. There is a steady stream of people visiting throughout the day. When I called in there were clients of many different ages and backgrounds - from mums with babies looking forward to putting their feet up with a free cuppa to pensioners looking for a bargain or a free book.

Dawn has had the opportunity to pray for someone almost every day, and a few people are planning to visit Gateway Church after their trip to The Gate.

Children in Need is on Friday 15 November and The Gate will be hosting a Pudsey-themed cake competition: bake and decorate a cake and have it judged between 10:00-11:00 on the day. Entry forms are available from the shop as well as Gateway Church. There is an entrance fee of £2 - all proceeds to Children in Need. There will also be a Pudsey photo booth (£1 per go) with local photographer Sabine Coe.

Or come along on Saturday 16 November for more Children in Need fun. You can take part in the live cupcake decorating competition at 12:00.

Dawn is looking for a face-painter (or anyone who can offer some silly skills) to volunteer on Saturday- please contact her if you can help.

It's great to see somewhere that's focussed on community and is caring so well for the people of Swindon. Opening times are Monday, Thursday and Friday 10-3pm and Saturday 10-1pm.

Hard life

We live in such an entitlement culture here in the UK. Whether that's moaning about what benefits we are entitled to; knowing our rights (but not always our responsibilities); or feeling sorry for ourselves that our lives aren't as shiny as the next person's.

It's easy to get sucked into this 'poor me' mentality. Now I'm not having a go at people on benefits, I get some myself and am very grateful to the government for them. In South Africa where I was born, if you lost your job you went hungry, unless your family or church provided for you. And you could have 10 kids- the govt. certainly wouldn't give you any tax credits for them. Also you pay for school in SA. I don't think that many British people would be too happy with that over here. Anyway...

Meet Murray Hambro. He is 33 years old and used to serve in the Second Royal Tank Regiment in Afghanistan. One day his tank drove over a roadside IED. He was sent 40 feet into the air and sustained broken feet and pelvis, crushed vertebrae and damaged liver and spleen amongst other injuries.

His feet were so damaged that he had to have a double amputation. The story could end there, but it doesn't. Instead of feeling sorry for himself and going around telling people about how hard his life was, he just got on with it. He quickly learned to use his new prosthetics, and took his first steps on new legs three months after being injured.

He decided to follow his love of motorbike racing, now that a career on the front lines wasn't an option. He got a specially adapted bike that meant he could race seriously. He joined True Heroes Racing and now takes part in the British Superbike Championship.

If this man can follow his dreams, then so can you and I. Stop blaming other people, difficult circumstances or a tough childhood and just get on with it.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/motorsport/22265878

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03hd21y/Remembrance_Week_Series_4_Episode_5/

Living with a baby

Lying in bed at night

with the light on,

reading.

Baby's in her own room now

so I'm allowed to do this.

It feels so decadent.

 

Having a soak in the bath.

Not having to rush

'cos my husband's at home.

It's a good thing

but it feels kinda selfish.

 

Church on a Sunday.

praying

she won't cry too loudly

or annoy anybody.

Breastfeeding-

not about 'look at me',

I'm just feeding my baby.

Don't get me wrong-

I love it-

a real blessing from God

but I don't like feeding

her in the toilet.

 

Date nights and cinema trips

almost unheard of-

at least for the moment.

Can't go out baby-free

without special arrangements

and asking for favours-

mostly from Grandparents

or church friends.

What would I do

if they lived far away?

I'd hardly ever get a break.

Raising a child is not meant

for just one or two-

it's all about community.

 

Not much sleep most nights

though it's not too bad this time.

Thanking God whenever

I get six hours in a row.

I'm not complaining,

just saying.

Being tired is boring

and I'll try not to bore you.

 

Taking the pushchair

wherever we go.

Can't always fit on the bus

or through the aisles

in the shops.

It seems to annoy some strangers

that I have to transport my baby.

Having to say loudly

'excuse me' (politely).

Sorry.

 

Cuddles and giggles

first thing in the morning.

Love at first sight

and for all of my life.

Nothing in the world like it.

Parenting-

demanding and tiring

but always rewarding.

This is my job and I love it.

Are you important?

Do you sit at the back of church?
Do you serve, but not in a very visible or exciting area?
Would you never be asked to preach on a Sunday?
Do you think that if you stopped going to church, probably no-one would notice?

I want to remind you that you are just as important as the most famous preacher. God loves you just as much as that person in church who you think has it all together (besides, they don't).
Jesus died on the cross for you just as much as he died for those who see themselves as important. In fact, even if you were the only person in the world, he still would have died for you.

In a world of pride and achievements and celebrities (including Christian ones) it can be easy to forget that those aren't the important things. The most important thing in your life is your relationship with God and how he sees you. Don't worry about other people's opinions- they are changeable, biased and, if not Biblical and loving, then probably not even true.


I love this parable from Luke 14:

⁷ When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honour at the table, he told them this parable: ⁸ “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honour, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. ⁹ If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. ¹⁰ But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honoured in the presence of all the other guests. ¹¹ For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”


That isn't to say that you shouldn't respect those in positions of authority- God has put them there and they deserve respect.

Remember, though, that  it's about you and God. And he says that you are very important.


Ephesians 2

³ In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God’s anger just because of the way we were.
⁴ But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. ⁵ We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God’s grace.) ⁶ Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places.

Bible Challenge day 32

So it's been a month already. I have enjoyed the challenge, and managed to take my Bible out with me most of the time, except for a few times when I forgot.

One thing I learned is that when I am feeling grumpy and don't want to read my Bible, that is the best time to do it. The other day I read when I didn't feel like it, and found this great verse:

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

I didn't have anyone asking me why I was carrying my Bible around, which is a shame, but I guess it's still a good witness. The more people see something, the more normal it becomes, and I would love for Bible reading in public to be more normal.

I probably enjoyed reading my Bible the most on the bus, so I think I will still take it out with me on public transport. Also it was cool having it at church for the first time in years.

Hopefully my co-challengees  also enjoyed their task. :)



Be the change you want to see.

Bible challenge day 19

My Bible challenge has inspired me to talk to people more often. As I said in my last blog, I believe that I am becoming more sympathetic to others, and wanting to chat to strangers is part of that. Previously I would never have spoken to anyone that I didn't know. Now I find myself talking to people on the bus and shop workers and mums at the school.

I believe that God has prompted me to speak to specific people a couple of times over the last week. I'm not sure why, as I haven't actually got round to mentioning the gospel yet, but I do feel that being more friendly is part of this process. I did tell a nice old lady the other day that I have some friends who are living in India for a while, but didn't get the chance to say why. Maybe I'll see her again, I don't know. It has been good practicing being more obedient to God though.

I forgot to take my Bible when I went out today, but I did have the chance to talk about my church to two people who previously didn't know that I was a Christian. It helps that our church is so involved in the community! If Gateway church was a Sunday club then that wouldn't be a good witness to non-Christians.

I am now reading 1 Corinthians and this passage jumped out at me:

1 Corinthians 22-25

Jews demanded miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom , and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

This passage makes me think of the intelligent people who disdain and mock Christianity because of thinking that God has to fit into human limitations (e.g. he has to have been born at some point or he has to follow the rules of science.) I can see how some people would think that believing in God is crazy, but that's because they don't have the wisdom of God nor understand that God made the laws of science, maths, time etc.  

When you are saved, I believe that the Holy Spirit is given to you, and with that some of the wisdom of God. Of course we still have comparatively little understanding or wisdom of God, at least until we meet him in Heaven one day.  Having a good knowledge of the Bible helps as it's the word of God.

Bible challenge day 13

I have found a good way to carry my Bible around when I go for a walk - on my daughter's pram. I took it to the local shops this week. Sometimes I don't bother with a shopping basket so I was pushing around my Bible and some brioche. That sounds a bit middle class doesn't it? :/ I did get a couple of funny looks but everyone is too polite to say anything.

I have become a fan of reading it on the bus and have done so a few times this week. Two things that I have noticed over the past 13 days are:

1) I am generally in a better frame of mind.
2) I am more sympathetic.

I really wouldn't have expected this from the challenge, but there you go. I believe that point one comes from reading my Bible more often (simply because it's to hand) and point two is more due to reading in public.

I wonder how my fellow challengees are doing? It was good to see another Bible being placed on the table alongside mine at lunch this week. I really should get a smaller one; mine is so heavy!

I must remember to take it to church tomorrow.