Fruit's of Labour

I thought I would begin writing my blog today as it is exactly a year since I was inducted into the Charge of St Ninians, and Auldearn. It has been an interesting year for me, and this Sunday coming will be preaching on the passage "by the fruits of their labors ye shall know them". (Matt. 7)

I've never did a blog before so be patient. My good friend the Rev Stuart Dennis has one and when he was in Nicaragua it gave me a chance to follow him, and keep in touch, however, I do not promise to be as exact, or tell you what I am having for my tea.

Starting Friday I took my Jujitsu class at 7 pm as usual. I have six students aged from 19 to 30 years. The class is basically the sharing a wide experience of knowledge in the fighting arts have. I started when I was 7 yrs along with my brother who at the time was into Judo, still practices in Aberdeen. Its refreshing passing on what you have achieved. In a sense I am of the old school, I love my tradition, which goes away back to 85 A.D.

However, I have always found that Jujitsu one of the hardest martial arts to endure, students don't last long, small classes, but in the right hands it makes a good discipline. its not about crash, bang and wallop, its about discipline.

But enough said, as I would just like to reflect on what Christ said, "ye shall know them by the fruits of their labors". First year behind me, another begins.

Another day another dollar! (10th June) A week has gone since I added anything to my blog, as I have been trying to figure out what exactly am I supposed to be doing with this blog. A close friend of mine who is a Baptist minister while in Nicaragua kept a blog going for a few year while working away as a missionary. It was a good way of keeping in touch, however, I feel it should be more than just a daily diary. For often what troubles a minister in this life is much more than purpose and reason. The world around us seems to be changing all the time, and there are times in this job that you seem to be stuck in the middle between those wanting change and those who cannot.

At Sainsbury today I met someone youngish, from Lossiemouth a previous charge, and began to talk about that exact same subject. A bit of a business man, and keeping things in a business like context stated that we all need to change otherwise we don't survive.

I must admit life does change and the only thing that does not change is change itself. Like Scot, I am a practical minded, but I often see that even though change is inevitable change is conflict. In business we do have to change just in order to survive, where we do have to embrace the new. But in my book God never changes, he is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. My problem is embracing the changes that improve life and trying to identify the troubles they may bring. Not everything in the past is bad, while not everything ahead of us is good like fundamentalism for example.

People can get carried away with themselves where the past has proven that to be the case. Modern technology has advanced everything, but the dangers are enormous because human nature does not change. Fundamentalism is highly dangerous and is like having a dog with a bone. One of my past times was owning and training Greyhounds. My pride and joy was a brindle dog called Jester. He was my first pup, top pedigree, and registered with NGRC. He was an enormous dog, about the same weight as myself (63 kilos) a 30 inches in height, and 39 inches in length. He was a one man dog, his instincts were quite tuned. One day he was chewing a bone, my father jokingly thought he could take the bone away from him, only to find that I had to come to his rescue as the dog had a go at his hand. It was the change of character in the dog, and the ferociousness that he exhibited. Fundamentalism essentially cannot let go. It gets hooked on one thing and that one thing becomes that everything. And that is the trouble with religion and even Christianity when fundamentalism imposes itself upon it. where it was Professor O Neill who said to me in private, many moons ago. Christianity can practice something for centuries, only to discover after 299 years it has been wrong.

I understand Scots understanding of change and we do have to change, but Its very difficult to know or even recognize when your passion becomes an obsession, or are even aware of the dangers change may bring.

Why worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will take care of itself, now where does it say that?