Welcome to Alnwick Baptist Church and the blog page for Chris and Caroline Friend.

These periodic musings are designed to give an insight into our perspective on life as Co-Ministers of the church either written individually or from both of us. Hopefully they will challenge and encourage in equal measure. During the COVID-19 crisis, we did weekly Wednesday Reflections  until  March 2021.

To fuel or not to fuel...that is the question. Whether 'tis nobler to leave one's car in the garage and walk, than suffer the slings and arrows of fuel starved drivers or, take one's vehicle towards a sea of forecourt troubles, and by turning up, suffer judgement. I'm sure that Shakespere would facepalm at this contextual revision of his lauded text but who cares. It's certainly been interesting to see how people have reacted to 'there's plenty fuel but not in the tankers' narrative that has played out this week. Many I'm certain have had good reason to need cars filled for essential journeys not to mention frontline emergency services and I'm equally certain that others have not, and their cars are now surreptitiously parked up in their garages next to the 1250 toilet rolls they purchased this time last year 'just in case'. 
Nonetheless, fuel or the lack of it has been uppermost in my mind this week. Yesterday I retreated to Barrowburn. It's nearly 6 months since I was last there and let's just say it was overdue. For those of you who've been, Barrowburn is the home of Scott and Catherine Iley and sits in the National Park towards Otterburn and is miles from anywhere. Even the journey there is helpful for just breathing in Creation and allowing the cares and burdens of life to slowly lift in the majesty of God's country.
Just like many of those drivers sat in forecourts, this was an essential journey for me, a time to come away and spend time with God in the quietness of deepest Northumberland and sit by still waters. Just like many of those regretting drivers, I wished I'd done it sooner rather than just about making the refuelling point on 'fumes'. Just like those drivers with sweaty palms, I headed to Barrowburn with a heightened anxiety because I'd gone too long between pit stops and a 'will I, won't I get there?' seeped into my subconscious. So a mindset change was needed and, as I spent time with Scott in the rhythm of Lectio Divina and spiritual accompaniment with Catherine, I was able to move from all those things in my head that I could be doing to concentrate on what should be done - or better put - as Jesus described to Martha, 'Mary has chosen the best part' as she sat at Jesus' feet.
It's not that I overfill my diary to the point of exhaustion, my boundaries are getting better in that respect; rather that there's not enough balance between 'the doing and the being'. I simply can't serve you or the community or God from an empty tank. If I am to convey more of Him to others then I need to allow more of Him into my schedule. It can't be piecemeal but needs to be about the quality of time. And of course, Jesus speaks truth into this in the gospels: Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 (Message)
And yes, this is for me, and it's for you and, it's also for the church. Why? Because emerging from the last 18 months and the enforced stopping of many activities means that we need to take stock about balance, learning to be programme lite but people and prayer focussed. Spending time asking God where and who He leads us to is good but/and we are better equipped for mission when we spend time at the Well of His filling, not downing frantic glugs like a marathon runner grabbing at a bottle from a water station but a proper sitting down in His presence, waiting on Him, hearing His Voice... Spirit filled. 

And to the oft-quoted 'I'm too busy to carve out time', believe me, I've had to learn the hard way. Busy lives do not always equal better or more productive, if anything, from my experience it's more detrimental. Elsewhere I've written about making space at the edges of our fields rather than trying to harvest to the max. The result is that growth occurs in the 'set aside' when we allow God space to cultivate.To get balance in our lives as followers of Jesus requires a culture change which, I'm not for one minute saying is easy...but it is good and it is right and it is essential.

Thursday 16th September 2021

'She's going to bottle it' I said. Mrs F stared at me across the sofa 'take your negative pants somewhere else...I believe in her'. Raducanu served. An Ace. She'd won the US Open. 'Never in doubt' I said. Mrs F stared at me once again, shook her head and said nothing. It was a phenomenal achievement. First qualifier ever to win a slam and she did not drop a set in ten matches. She's 18 years old. The plaudits will keep coming for this incredible sporting feat and the future is indeed bright. Andy Murray said of her: 'What she did in New York was very special, a huge boost for British tennis and gives hopefully the governing bodies an opportunity to capitalise on that and get more and more kids involved in the sport. It's great what she did and a huge opportunity for British tennis now.' Only 18 and already her legacy is being spoken of.
The match was played on September 11th and was a juxtaposition to the sombre mood of reflection of New Yorkers and millions around the world on the 20th anniversary of 9/11. Rob Halligan, the singer/musician/songwriter who we have hosted in Alnwick many times, was one of those poignantly remembering; his own dad had been in the World Trade Center on that day and lost his life. Rob blogged about it and reflected on his journey: 'The day after 9/11 I decided that music was the one thing I had that I could use to make a difference in this horrific story and to make sure Dad’s death wasn’t going to be wasted. It was a journey to get there. Faith was an issue. The “Father Forgive” written at the front of Coventry Cathedral screamed at me, how on earth was I going to do that? It’s easy to bang on about forgiveness and turning the other cheek, but when the rubber hits the road, what do I really think and believe?......I chose to believe, yes. God is love – Love Is Bigger....And that’s how it started. Love is bigger than this mess of a world we live in. We hear about that mess all the time and so seldom celebrate the triumphs over that mess. And so, using music to make a difference became my thing. Singing the stories of people who don’t have a voice, raising awareness and money for the plight of some of the most vulnerable kids in the world. So this is the Legacy I want to celebrate. While the news talks about the horrors of the day and the destruction that followed, I’ll scream about hope until I don’t have a voice left. I’ll try and shed a little light while there’s still light to shed and I'll keep on singing. I’ll celebrate the 1000’s of kids in Bangladesh, Lebanon, Syria and Ethiopia that I’ve met. I’ll champion the little girl in Bangladesh we sent off at the 11th hour for life saving surgery and is now a young adult studying medicine. I’ll celebrate the love of a family who invited me into their shack on the Syrian border to thank us for giving them some hope, the kids who go to the school we built in Ethiopia who are helping their families climb out of poverty'. This is Rob's hoped for legacy and he's already seeing it coming to fruition in his lifetime.
Two vastly different stories on the same day conjuring up a huge range of emotions. Both speak to legacy.
I wonder if we think of legacy enough? Some are huge. The actions of Rosa Parks in refusing to give up her seat for a white man in 1955 turned the tide in apartheid immediately comes to mind. And what of our own legacy? We all have a sphere of influence, all of us. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with that, I passionately believe that we do. We carry the baton for our leg of the race. What we hand on is directly proportionate to how we've run, acted, spoken. What will we leave behind that speaks to the goodness of God in our lives that we want others to see? For all his failings, the Bible records of David that 'he served the purposes of God in his generation' and that 'he was a man after God's own heart'. Whatever time and place you read this, I pray that God will open your eyes to your sphere of influence and with open hands, ask Him to help you leave a legacy of grace, compassion, justice and love with those you encounter today. Who knows, your actions and words today could change the direction in someone's life for good and a journey towards Jesus.