Yesterday we had a major health scare. Zoe had a major migraine (the first in the 10 years we’ve been together) but the symptoms suggested that it could be any one of a numberof different things, some of which could have had major implications!
As I rushed over to pick her and Sian up from the parent and toddler group they were at, all the possibilities were going through my mind. It suddenly made me sit up and think about everything that is important to me and made me realise how easy it is to take things in life for granted.
Praise God that in fact today Zoe is feeling much better and all my fears were unfounded! I pray that the lessons I’ve learnt will not quickly be forgotten!
Today I was faced with the possibility of change in a small area of my life and its got me thinking about how people embrace change in their lives. Even though I didn’t understand all the implications of this change I embraced the possibilities as it meant a new, and for me, radical way of doing things and I trust the person who was suggesting it. I could see the vision that was being put across and I wanted to be part of it!
However, the change isn’t going to happen, or at least it isn’t yet. The decision makers have decided that they don’t want to make such radical changes at this time as the small changes we had already agreed on were more than enough. What prompted this decision seems to be lack of understanding of the issues and concern over the unknown effects of such a big change.
The changes would have meant that people would have to learn a different way of doing things, but it was also a better and ultimately cheaper way. Now we will be doing the same old things, in a slightly different way and if they work we might roll out more change later!
For me there was a real “promise of change” that meant I’d be challenged in new ways. For others they couldn’t see beyond the threat of the unknown and consequently the same goals invoked a “fear of change” in them that ultimately stopped it.
At the end of the day the area where the change would have occurred is really insignificant, but it got me thinking about areas that might involve more important change. Am I someone who embraces change and sees it for the positive benefits it can bring, or am I someone who is scared of what change might involve and therefore try to stop it? Hopefully I’m the first! What about you?
Every so often you have one of those days that you would rather forget! Today was one of those for me! Finally capped by Sian spending the best part of 2 hours crying after going to bed!
… so the saying goes!
One of the things I do in my job is try to keep abreast of social conditions in Latvia. Consequently a lot of statistics tend to catch my eye. Just now I noticed that the Central Statistical Bureau have increased the Minimum subsistence level per capita to LVL 111.97 (approx. GBP 110 or USD 192) per month. In other words it costs about LVL 120 for each person in Latvia to have the basic requirements put in place by the government of Latvia.
This doesn’t sound like much, but in a country where the average state pension at the end of 2004 (latest available figures) was only LVL 70 per month and where the poorest 20% of the population were trying to survive on only LVL 38.42 per month, its clear there is a huge social problem.
On the well publicised surface Latvia appears to be doing well. One of the fastest growing economies in the EU. The guide books show images of the wonderful shopping centres and impressive cultural heritage of the country. One from a few years back suggests that people visit one extremely poor area of Riga to see the traditional wooden houses and experience the smells of frugal meals being cooked on open fires, as if poverty is a tourist attraction. On the way in from the airport it is almost easy to miss the poverty as you see the ever increasing number of new corporate offices and expensive high rise complexes.
But scratch that surface by going only a few blocks in the ‘wrong direction’ and poverty becomes evident. Leave the city and head off into the countryside and you’d have to be blind to miss the problems!
All this and I hear the message from someone only a couple of weeks ago that ‘people do not see Latvia as a developing country’ and consequently it’ll be tough to get support for The Salvation Army’s work here!
I was reading Gordon Cotterill’s blog today and noticed the text running across the top of his blog and couldn’t help but read it!
The comments about Mission reminded me about a book I have just received which is actually the text of a lecture given by Andrew Kirk in Sweden two or three years ago. The book called “What is Mission?” tries to answer that very question and raises concerns with some of the narrow views of what Mission is.
One particular comment though caught my eye in the book. Kirk says:
“In the discussion about the relationship between a ‘given’ gospel and concrete cultures, there appears to be a tendency towards relativising the gospel and absolutising culture. This is bringing sharp disagreements among Christians world-wide.”
This comment reminds me that one of the biggest problems facing the Church today is that we often spend more time fighting amongst ourselves, rather than we do the real enemy. Having worked for a number of years for the Anglican Communion I see the often bitter arguments that are threatening to tear it apart, the base of which is this very problem.
Again in TSA I often find myself laughing in frustration at some of the letters or even articles in Salvationist that really are more about cultural differences than the gospel. We will sit back in 5, 10 or 20 years time and find that views have become so polarised that we are faced with an irrevocable split because of our attitudes of saying that our way is the only way!
Well Sian is much better today, although still wanting lots of cuddles, which is nice! I was worried for awhile that I wouldn’t get to the meeting this morning but she had recovered a lot over night.
I’m glad I did get to the meeting though as the 4 of our 6 cadets were leading. They all did extremely well and even though they have only been training since 9th January I can already see a transformation in them. This is in no small part due to the work that our Training Officer has put into the course (having basically built a curriculum from scratch and having to deal with 2 languages she doesn’t speak). If you want to read more about how they are doing have a look over on Evie’s blog on my blog roll and you’ll be able to follow their training!
After having had a long succession of busy Saturday’s we were looking forward to getting out as just our small family today, but unfortunately, Sian woke up at about 6:00am and was vomiting. It’s now 10:45 and she’s still not well so our plans for the day have gone out of the window!
This time last year Sian went down with gastroentiritus (excuse the spelling) and ended up spending 2 days on a drip at home before being stuck in the children’s infectius disease ward of Riga’s Children’s Hospital. Zoe was stuck there as well with me travelling back and forward every day. Makes you worry when Sian is sick again!
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