Negative or Positive

What kind of person are you? I've been spending time thinking about that lately, well not you exactly. I've been thinking about me; examining what I am and what I ought to be. Of course that's what we all should do regularly as Christians. It is part of our Preparation for all our services and takes the form of the confession within services, and also I have been asking how we try to live our lives when we say at the end of services "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord".

Facing operations; recovering from illness, feeling "high" after successful events; and returning from holidays, renewed to start routine life afresh give one some focusing points, and opportunities to look at our life afresh.

The trouble is, that analysis is OK and the good intentions come quite easily, but at that point the ground starts its downward slope, often imperceptibly at first. Sometimes I would have done things differently if it hadn't been for other people - duties towards them delayed my intentions. I couldn't do that which I wanted to do because that which I had to do got the way - and that often happens because my life just isn't my own! Hang o though...I didn't want it to be. I wanted it to be for God (That was why I answered His call). The thoughts rambled on....

So often I plan to 'achieve' by spotting the necessary steps and difficulties along the way. I think that is a practical way of tackling things; seeing what is to be overcome and then trying to do it. The trouble is, part of this attitude includes recognising what might stop things from happening - then the brakes start to go on. Seems too easy to slip into that pessimistic accepting frame of mind that things will never change. I end up still being as I am; God will understand, or will He.

This is when I realised I was in danger of going down the negative slope. Negative Me! I've never thought of myself as being a negative person, just pragmatic and realistic. Then another thought occurred to me: negative...opposite of positive. Positive. The electrical symbol for that is a cross. I looked back up that slope and it had become a green hill. The cross was there. I really think I might be on my way towards it. No, I'm positive I am.

Another thought, if you take two negatives and start by turning one on its end, the result is a positive! Where are you on the slope? Well always remember that Faith is the darkroom that turns our negatives into positives.

Yours in Christ Ann

Yours in Christ,

Rev'd Ann Wood

Parish Church Registers

Christenings
William Robert Bunting
Courtney Melissa Ann Cox
Rhys Guilliam
Ben Paul Scally

Weddings
Elizabeth Pitt and Richard Lee
Emma Lilleyman and Simon Barrett

Funerals
George Winston Burgin - 74 years
Phyll LLoyd - 90 years

THE PARISH OF WHISTON
ST MARY MAGDALENE, WHISTON
Telephone Rotherham 364430

Bread of life

Home made and shop sliced, white, brown and black, wholemeal and rice, cheese topped and sesame sprinkled, French baguette and Yiddish bagel - the Mothers Union members tasted them all when they met in October to think about their daily bread.

The meeting on 15th November again takes the form of a DIY event. We will be looking at the lives of some of our fellow members who live in poverty stricken parts of Africa. If you would like to come you will find us in the Church Meeting Rooms at 7.30pm.

The afternoon group continues to meet on the first Tuesday of each month at 2.15pm.