Death by Keyboard

Perfidia - sounds like something you need a good strong dose of antibiotics to get rid of doesn't it? If only it were so easy.

It is in fact, a song, a popular Mexian one about love and betrayal, made famous by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra in 1941. In 1960 it was re-released ( why,oh why?) by The Ventures and reached No 4 in the UK Hit Parade.

It's quite a catchy Big Band tune to be honest, hence it's poularity I guess, but my problem is that Elyse is learning to play it on the keyboard and it's killing me!

Left and right hand working in perfect harmony....is the aim. The reality is somewhat different and yes, it is hard, that's why 'we' have to practise, but why does 'our' practise always end up and sometimes start with tears.

Accusations against me are as follows:

• You don't understand!
• You don't understand!
• You're not listening to me!
• You just shout at me!
• You don't understand!

I do understand.You might hear her where YOU live.

I do understand, really, but it's death by keyboard and it hurts!

Just a glimpse.

This Easter has been amazing for me and I really thank God for that from the bottom of my heart. I caught a glimpse, one of my crystal moments I guess, of Jesus risen, the cross standing empty to the skies and I am amazed - has it really taken all this time to sink in - God forgive me!

I want to stay amazed for ever.

Joe wanted to watch the Passion of the Christ tonight, so, after a big think, we did. He has gone to bed without saying a word.

...to be continued...?

Why is Water Wet?

Elyse was chatting away and mentioned that she had read this very question in a book.
'Oh,' I said, 'and why is water wet then?'

Her response as follows:
Well, IS it wet? I mean people come of of water wet, which means the people are wet, but IS the water wet? How do we know that?

I said,'Well, it's not dry is it, I mean....,'trailing off thinking, 'Yeah how DO we know?'

I searched the CSE Chemistry area of my brain ( before G you notice, just plain old CSE) and was about to launch into the molecular structure of water, but she was off onto the next loosely related thing,'Well anyway, why does the hair on the right side of my head dry off quicker that the hair on the other side?'

My response? 'Dunno!'

Wholly Weak!

My testimony so far for Holy Week is ( quite clearly) a play on words, but completely true.
God in His awesome wisdom has revealed to me that I am weak without Him, it's as simple as that.

The thing for me with 'God Reveals' is that although I knew that already, suddenly and, in that paradoxical way that God does thing, over a period of time, I believe it
- I know it to be true.

I am really looking for Jesus this week - in the Passion on Sunday
the Chief Priest character challenges Jesus, when he talks about being sent by God but that God us also with him. 'How can your father have sent you, yet be with you too' and in the same way, why do I have to search for Jesus when I know he is already with me?

However, I found him yesterday in the most unlikely place.

I was paying a parking fine using the Havering Borough Council Automated Payment System over the phone. I had pressed all the right numbers and was just waiting for the voice to say, 'I'm sorry, this system is broken beyond repair and you will have to come in person to our scary office and pay in cash' .What it actually said was...........drumroll..............

Your debt has been paid in full.

...and in the little Prayer Room at DHQ, where I had gone in my shame to pay my parking fine, Jesus was there reassuring me that my debt was paid in full.

Look to The Little Things.

What now feels like 100 years, but was infact only 2 years ago, I was at a conference and was able to indulge in some real long quality time with God and among some of the revelations that came to me that day was the title of this blog - not that I knew at the time I was going to blog about it though! I wrote it in the back of my bible along with another gem which was Challenge Mediocrity, a very noble phrase which was actually confirmed to me the very next day. I guess only other people can know if I do challenge mediocrity as it's not something I particularly set out to do.

However, I took Look To The Little Things to be a command about my ministry in working with and for children - little things ahh!

It turns out that what it really means is that the details are important. For me as a bigger picture person, that's a hard lesson. The minutes that make up the hours, with words that make up the email, letter or blog, the words that I actually SAY, although never as eloquently as I could write them - which, funnily enough, as a slight digression, is what we found out about Joe this week at parents evening. He can write like a dream, but needs to be more confident in delivery.

Anyway, this week I haven't felt too well, and as well as working to a deadline at work for an Event, doing the normal day to day work,re- learning how to set up the DHQ PA sytem ( and only for the cost of a packet of Munchies - Matt Leeder is SO cheap) there has been loads going on at Church and at home and school for the children too, making me feel as if I have been dragging an elephant around with me.

This morning really was the last straw, as my normal plans to get the children to school and me to work were thwarted yet again although, somehow, I managed to get to work earlier than I usually do, only to find a refuse truck blocking the entrance to the Car Park and really feeling like turning around and going home and it was only 9:20a.m

So I went into the office, after finally being able to park the car, ranting (politely) about feeling as if I was in some kind of reality TV show and the challenges were to 'See How Resourceful Liz Can Be'. My colleagues listened and were really supportive and then we had to get our heads round a meeting which was going to happen in about half an hours time, so life went on.

Later in the afternoon, I was in the shed - pulling together various resources for the Kid's Event and rummaging around for sports equipment and thought, 'I wonder where I am going to get some plastic indoor hockey sticks?' This was one of those little things that had been in the back of my mind for a couple of weeks if I'm honest, but somehow, I hadn't got further that the wondering stage.

As I was dragging my piled up trolley across the car park, back to the office, my boss, ( The DC to those who know, so you can picture the exchange) was just reversing his car out of a parking space, when he stopped, wound down his window and said,

' I don't know why I have just thought this, but could you use some plastic indoor hockey sticks, only our son has given us some in a net bag and everything'

Seriously, my jaw hit the floor.

I said 'I LOVE YOU and I LOVE GOD' and we both laughed really out loud!

Now I know that in the grand scheme of things, there are bigger and better miracles God could have chosen to perform at that time, and to be honest He was probably doing those at the same time, and it might well have been a coincidence but here He was, indulging my little 'I wonder' and giving me a much needed boost to my confidence and my pants week.

So I started that day with a rant and ended it praising God like mad and driving everyone in the offices nuts with having to listen to my testimony until I was sure they'd all heard it!

A little thing that made so much difference to me and a feeling that I want to hold on to for as long as I can.