Are you rational or relational

We have had a team of volunteers from Boston City Life Presbyterian Church this last week, and as always they have been really useful and good company for us and the locals. Their main task is to put on a fun-day in St John's park (though I did manage to use Jess as a data capturer - and I am very grateful). The fun-day looked like it was going to be a wash out from the beginning of the week (the weather reports all indicated that particularly the Friday would be about 3 inches of rain all day!) and Marlene told them that if there was rain then she knows that they haven't been praying. Though the weather reports may be useful, they are based on rational logical information that looks at historical data to project the future. The bible tells us that if we have a relationship with God we have a relationship with the author of life. The team went ahead with the fun-day (I was sceptical) but Tom and Marlene more faithful. It happened, there was no rain, and many people in the park had an amazing day!

My little Hannah has had another birthday party and it was attended by some old friends and some new one's from her school. I think they all had a wonderful time though Hannah was not feeling very well - paracetamol helped!

On Sunday we had a visiting preacher, Andrew Latimer from St Peter's Barge. Andrew is also the father of one of the girls in the same class as Hannah. These are all really important links. He gave us such a good lesson on the dysfunctional family of Jacob and how Joseph was part of God's rescue plan for his people.

I find it difficult to function effectively at Café Forever when I think of my duties as work, it is really just an extended weekend. For a start most of my 'work' is talking to people. When I talk to people I get to know them, their background, their fun. I also find in me something that makes for a common bond. It is in friendships that we are able to talk about our lives, the things that are most important to us. I would hate to be a converter of people - that makes you into somebody who is interested in targets and goals. Somebody who does the targets and goals thing is very businesslike and rational. I think perhaps the two hardest things for people to come to faith are firstly that they have to begin living relationally and not rationally, and that they will seem ridiculous when they do. This is why following Jesus is 'a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Greeks'. I had an opportunity to share my 'Damascus moment' with a friend yesterday. I was glad of an opportunity to share my hope and what God has done in my life already. It may seem manipulative, but the truth of the matter is I was able to talk about my experience because we are friends. My start point is I need friends, I really need people to help me deal with this life, and this person is somebody who is always ready to give me useful advice and I welcome his input; friendships develop around mutual trust.