In the News Archive section we hold older stories of interest which were once News items.
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May 2^nd

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 1

Dear Friends,

I am acutely aware of the anxiety and concern that many of you will feel as we talk about the future of our churches. I know, too, that that comes from a deep and long love for Christ. The places where we have celebrated our faith often seem like a second home. They are where we belong. 

So I have decided to pen just a few words every week, partly to keep you in the picture, partly to encourage you. There is a hairdresser's in Congleton called Curl up and Dye. It’s an excellent name for a hairdresser's, but it would be rather a poor one for a church. I have decided to call these musings Letters to a Living Church, because they are addressed to that part of us which categorically refuses to curl up and die.  

Instead, we go back to one of the fundamental realities of our Christian experience: namely, that God has called us. He has called us to follow Jesus Christ. Sometimes that is more of a challenge than we would like! But answering that call with a positive ‘Amen’ is part of the chemistry that makes us a living church. The other part of the chemistry is the work of the Holy Spirit. 

With every blessing,

Philip

The Calling of the First Disciples  -  Matthew 4: 18-20
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

A Prayer
Lord, you didn’t make it easy for Simon and Andrew, did you? 
Nor for James and John.  You haven’t really changed much, I don’t suppose.
But, Lord, thank you for calling those fishermen. Thank you for giving them the opportunity to live at the sharp end of your promises.
Thank you for calling us, too. 
Give us, day by day, the grace to follow where you call us. 
Amen

May 9^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 2

Dear Friends,

There are some things that are contagious – and not just diseases. Laughter, hope, faith and love can be contagious, too. 

Art thou weary, art thou languid,
Art thou sore distressed?

So runs the old hymn. Was I weary, languid and sore-distressed? Possibly, but not half as much as I was when I was singing about it. Pessimism, judgementalism, despair can be contagious, too. 

I prefer instead to sing hymns that draw out of me something deeper. Joy, for a start. When I am joyful I am far better equipped to meet the day. Joy can be contagious, too – and not just the superficial, bubbly, frothy sort either. 

Being joyful comes from digging deep down into the heart of our faith. God is the kind of God Jesus has shown him to be. That’s the source of Christian joy and it’s a contagion that needs spreading. 

With every blessing,

Philip

Singing a new song  -  Habakkuk 3: 17-18
Though the fig-tree does not bud, and there are no grapes on the vine,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet will I rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.                                                                                 John 15:11

A Prayer
Lord, why is it that some people who have nothing can act as if they have everything?
I would like some of that unbridled joy.
I thank you for those whose joyfulness makes me glad to be alive.
I thank you for Jesus’ joy in you.
Lord, I’m catching it; help me to spread it. Amen 

May 16^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 3

Dear Friends,

Getting priorities right is never easy. Even today you can still take your life in your hands in certain Methodist circles by mentioning the issue of wine. I have known people get hot under the collar because a glass of wine has appeared at a private garden party (raising money for church funds), or a bottle has been unwittingly donated for the tombola or, on the other hand, because they have been denied a glass at church to celebrate Grandma’s birthday.

Jesus drank wine. He turned water into wine. He offered his life as bread and wine.  He made wine more than simply an alcoholic drink: to be a symbol for his mission and ministry. And that, to be honest, is rather more important. He challenged people to think of what he was doing as new wine that simply could not be contained in old wineskins – be they the institutions of Jesus’ day or our own.

As John V Taylor, a former Bishop of Winchester, once wrote: we are guardians of the wine, not the skins.  And I think that is the right way to express our priorities. A taste of new wine might do us the power of good.

With every blessing,

Philip

A parable about new wine     Luke 5: 37
Jesus told them this parable… Nor does anyone pour new wine into old wineskins, because the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will pour out and the new wine will be ruined. Instead new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.

A Prayer
Lord, I must confess it is easier to be a guardian of the skins. 
Forgive me when I have mistakenly thought we could contain your Gospel within our church, but I realise you’re much bigger than that. 
So would you give me also a taste for your new wine?
And if you could still manage to help us keep the skins fresh, I’d like that.
Amen 

May 23^rd

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 4

Dear Friends,

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to win the Lottery? Never wondered during the sermon what you would do with a million or two? Of course you have. And have you ever imagined what it would be like to meet someone who won the jackpot but then turned it down?

No? What a surprise! But that was what happened to the first disciples the day they met Jesus. This carpenter has the temerity to tell them, experienced fishermen, where to go fishing. In the wrong place, at the wrong time! Against all the odds Jesus hits the jackpot and the disciples find themselves with the largest haul they have ever had – by some margin.

The fishermen were amazed. Whether that’s because of the magnitude of their catch or the fact that Jesus does not seem to want to capitalize on this, I just don’t know. But he did not seem interested in benefiting financially. He suggested to the fishermen that there was something more important he had to do, and he wanted them to play a part in it.

We, too, are disciples of a very remarkable Lord – he turns down the jackpot but takes on the Cross.

With every blessing,

Philip

Having checked the winning numbers…  Luke 5: 9-10
[Simon Peter] and the others with him were amazed at the large number of fish they had caught. The same was true of Simon’s partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus said to Simon, ‘Don’t be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.’

A Prayer
Lord, I would like to win the Lottery. You just don’t know how generous I could be. It wouldn’t all be for me. Honest.
Well, I can dream, can’t I?
If only you hadn’t excited those fisherman with better dreams, but you did, and they were all the richer for it. Are those dreams catching?
Amen 

May 30^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 5

Dear Friends,

Sometimes it is possible to get the wrong end of the stick:

They are trying to close our church down, you know? You let them try. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…

Brothers (and sisters) have been fighting each other since time immemorial. Remember Cain and Abel? Well, in the Old Testament, there’s a marvellous story in Genesis 32 and 33. Jacob hears his brother Esau is on his way to meet him with 400 men. What’s his game then?

Jacob is afraid, tries to fend off Esau with a gift of cows, goats, donkeys, rams and camels. Then he prays to God for help and support, which is not quite the same as listening to him. Finally he prepares to fight. He fears the worst.

How does it end?  Then Esau ran to greet Jacob and embraced him, and fell upon his shoulder and kissed him and both of them wept.        Genesis 33:4

As a Circuit we are asking our churches to embrace one another – in the name of Christ. It is not about closing churches. That’s getting hold of the wrong end of the stick. It is about working together for the sake of the kingdom.

With every blessing,

Philip

A Prayer
Lord, I know I am supposed to love them, but …
I know I am supposed to forgive them, but …
I know I am being asked to move forward in faith, but…
Lord, you know I have a lot of ‘buts’, but… make me a channel of your peace.
Yes, make me a channel of your peace.
Amen 

June 6^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 6

Dear Friends,

I heard recently of a minister who disguised himself – quite effectively – as a rather odorous vagrant who had stumbled into church. He wanted to test how the congregation would welcome such a man. He planned to throw off his disguise at the last moment and reveal who he really was. Unfortunately, the elders called the police and had him removed before he had a chance!

We pride ourselves on being welcoming; in fact we would hate to think of our congregation as anything but welcoming. What our actions sometimes declare is: you are welcome – so long as you don’t cross the line!

There are degrees by which people are welcomed. Some we keep at arm’s length. Others are fast-tracked into the inner circle. Jesus welcomed sinners; indeed something drew them to him. He spoke with them, but to go to their homes and eat with them was actually an acceptance and welcome of such magnitude that some people could not cope. It was just too unsettling.

Now we would all like a quiet, easy life, but the real test of whether we are a welcoming congregation is this: will you welcome the Lord whose will for you might be profoundly unsettling?

With every blessing,

Crossing the line                      Mark 9: 35-37
Jesus sat down, called the twelve disciples and said to them: “Whoever wants to be first must place himself last of all and be the servant of all.” Then he took a child and made him stand in front of them. He put his arms around him and said to them, “ Whoever receives in my name one of these children, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes not only me, but also the one who sent me.”    

A Prayer
Lord, why is it that welcoming people just isn’t as straightforward as I thought? You welcomed people that others didn’t rate. I am just glad that you have welcomed me. You had better just help me to welcome you in the same spirit.
Amen 

June 13^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 7

Dear Friends,

They were talking about mission today on the television. It was a commercial and they were selling vacuum cleaners – Dysons to be precise. The final line goes: Our mission is simple – solve the obvious problems, whatever it takes. 

As mission statements go, that is pretty good. It is succinct and recognizes that to achieve anything worthwhile is going to be anything but simple. 

Jesus expressed his mission in simple terms: to seek and to save the lost [Luke 19:10].  Or  I have come in order that you might have life – and life in all its fullness [John 10:10]. He didn’t actually say whatever it takes. But that was what he meant and that was certainly how he lived and died. 

With every blessing,

The Great Commission                      Matthew 28: 18-20
Jesus drew near and said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."    

A Prayer
Lord, I know you came to seek and to save the lost, but to be honest I feel a little lost myself sometimes, so you had better begin with me. You will have to forgive me when I have settled for less than life in all its fullness – for myself and for others. Yet you have offered a love so amazing, so divine; it demands my soul, my life, my all. If I am to love as you did, if I am to do whatever it takes, I am going to need your help a lot, Lord.
Amen 

June 20^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 8

Dear Friends,

The rumour is ….  Well, we have all heard that line. Rumours can be damaging, misleading, or frightening. They usually arise when we don’t know the full story, and we try to fill in the gaps and come up with a coherent explanation for the events we have heard or experienced.

 I expect you have already heard some rumour or another about what is happening in the Circuit. It’s all been stitched up, someone says - with unimpeachable authority. Well there are some rumours that do have a foundation in truth, and others that don’t. This week (June 24) we shall have a Circuit Meeting when everyone who comes will be able to see the whole picture and make an informed judgement on some important issues – about mission, ministry, pastoral care and priorities. For the record, nothing has been stitched up, though obviously some of us have had to think (and pray) a few things through. But it is the Circuit Meeting that will decide things.

With every blessing,

A rumour of angels                      Matthew 28: 5-6
The angel spoke to the women. “You must not be afraid”, he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said.”    

A Prayer
Lord, I don’t know whether things have been stitched up or not.
But I would like us to make some good decisions on Thursday.
I pray for everyone there – that they may have grace, vision and wisdom.
Lord, bless your people, and help us to love one another.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen 

June 27^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 9

Dear Friends,

Every week two people call me Brother. What they actually say is ‘Hi, bro’. I know it sounds slightly cringeworthy, but there is something rather splendid about that. I also ought to add that they are Muslims.

When we call people our brothers and sisters it changes the way we see them. The early Christian monks of the 4th century did a remarkable thing. They refused to speak of the poor as ‘base and ignoble’ (as the pagans did), or as ‘less fortunate than ourselves’ (as other Christians did). They called the poor their brothers and sisters. That gave the poor a dignity and respect they had not had before, and it gave the monks a whole new set of friends.

Who are the folk in Mow Cop, Biddulph and Congleton? In those strange sounding places like Bosley, Harriseahead, Lower Withington or Lask Edge? (to name but a few). They are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

At the risk of sounding mischievous, do we sometimes not see one another as ‘base and ignoble’ or ‘less fortunate than ourselves’? Perhaps it would be a bit much if we all went round saying ‘Hi, bro’ or ‘Hi, sis’. But recognizing one another as brothers and sisters is vital to any living church (or Circuit).

Deepening Relationships                      
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. My commandment is this: love one another, just as I love you.        John 15: 15 
Standing close to the cross were Jesus’ mother…. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother”.                           John 19: 25-27

A Prayer
Lord, I did not choose my brothers and sisters. They came to me as a gift. Today I would like to say thank you for the gift of my brothers and sisters in […….]. I thank you for their life of faith, for the skills and gifts I have seen and also those I have failed to notice. Thank you that we share the same calling, the same faith, the same Lord, the same Father.
Amen 

July 4^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 10

Dear Friends,

Note the date! In some parts of the world it is inescapable. July 4 is an occasion for festivity and fireworks as they celebrate their freedom and independence. For Joanna and me it is also the date of our wedding anniversary, when we celebrate going beyond freedom and independence and into – if I may use that old Biblical word – covenant. It is a significant step further – as Joanna would tell you!

Do you remember how long you have been in covenant with God? You might even remember the day you realised you and God were bound together in love and trust. But do you remember the day, too, when God entered into covenant with you? Well, it was long before you were born! To push the analogy further… on Good Friday God signed on the dotted line.

Today I ask you to remember just who we are in covenant (relationship) with. God has promised to be our God, and he has gone to extraordinary lengths to keep his promise. You might be tempted at times to think he has forgotten us, and you might then be inclined to settle for as much freedom and independence as you can get. But maybe today, July 4, he is calling us to go a step beyond that. It is a journey of faith and trust. Don’t forget just who it is you are travelling with.

With every blessing,

Trusting God                                                                                      John 14: 1, 5-6
Set your troubled hearts at rest. Trust in God always; trust also in me…. Thomas said, ‘Lord we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’ Jesus replied, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by me.’   

A Prayer
Lord, I do wish you had said you could be the way I had always known, the truth I would find easy to come to terms with and the life that suits me. That would be easier. But I guess you don’t settle for the easy route. Thank you for waiting for me, trusting me. Help me as I put my trust in you, O Lord.
Amen 

July 11^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 11

Dear Friends,

Every now and again I detect a crisis of confidence. We won’t be able to afford this. We won’t be able to do that. Who says? Do beware of self-fulfilling prophecies. If your expectations are set too low, then what you expect might very well happen!

There is an interesting story in Numbers 13-14. The Hebrews, who had recently escaped from Egypt under Moses’ leadership, were given a choice. They could either choose to enter the Promised Land, which was "flowing with milk and honey", or they could play it safe, stay in their tents in the desert and eat the manna and quails that God would provide. They chose the tents.

Why? Because although some of the spies who had explored the Promised Land were very taken with its obvious glories, they were scared stiff of the people who lived there and of the hardships and risks involved. As they put it: We felt as small as grasshoppers. 

Jesus does not call us to be grasshoppers, playing safe and hiding in the grass. This is a time for spiritual heroes - a time for men and women to be heroic in their faith and in spiritual character and power [Dallas Willard]. If we expect to make new Christians, God might very well answer more of our prayers than we imagined.

With every blessing,

Be bold, be strong / for the Lord your God is with you..      2 Chronicles 32: 7
Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed before the King of Assyria and all the horde that is with him; for there is one greater with us than with him. 

A Prayer
Lord, I want to ask you something now, while I feel relatively confident. If the time comes when my confidence is under threat, and I get to feel as small as a grasshopper, well I just ask that you will send me someone who can make me feel different. Someone who can lift me up and restore my faith. Someone who is not content to play things safe.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen 

July 18^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 12

Dear Friends,

If someone were to walk in off the street into your church and say, "I want to learn about being a Christian" what would you say?

You could make excuses: "I am afraid our Minister is not here today. Can you come back in a fortnight?" Or you could plead the cause of your own humble limitations: "That is not really my forte. But I am sure Mrs S will be able to speak to you. She is so much better at that than I am." Or you could point out that there is bound to be an Alpha course starting somewhere soon. "Just add your name to the list."

Or you could say: "You have come to just the right place. The first thing to learn about being a Christian is not to be too fussy about your friends. So, will I do? Put your hand there, son. I have been trying to learn about being a Christian all my life, and I reckon I am just beginning to get the hang of it. Come and sit with me then we’ll have a cup of tea."

What we offer in our churches is friendship – in the name of Jesus Christ. The crucial thing is that you and I take responsibility for that – there and then. Finding the right words is nowhere near as important as being the right person in the right place.

With every blessing,

From the New Testament      
You are the salt of the earth…. You are the light of the world.  Matthew 5: 13,14  
Do not neglect the gift that is in you….                                 1 Timothy 4:14

A Prayer
Lord, I have got to thank you for my friends. They are some of the most valuable gifts I have ever received. I would ask you to deepen my capacity for friendship, even when it means I have to live a bit on the edge. Help me to reflect something of your friendship towards me.
Amen 

July 25^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 13

Dear Friends,

I have enjoyed reading Prepare for Exile by Patrick Whitworth. He tells about Monty Roberts who wrote a book called The Man Who Listens to Horses. What Roberts discovered was that when mustangs become separated from the herd, in the wild, they become sick and even die.

He decided to apply this to breaking in these horses. In the ring he decided not to make eye contact with them or even approach them. He reckoned they craved relationships even with their enemy, rather than be ignored and left alone. Instead of spending hours trying to break the horses’ wills it became possible to get them saddled and with a rider on their back after an hour.

As we proclaim our faith it does not have to be confrontational, heavy handed, or confrontational. Sometimes the good news can be whispered through the experience of a loving community, faithful prayers and gentle interest in the lives of others. As Patrick Whitworth puts it, we need to whisper to people’s souls. Enough perhaps to make people wonder just what it is that makes a Christian tick.

With every blessing,

From the Old Testament                                                            1 Kings 19:11-12
Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a gentle whisper.   

A Prayer (Hymn 673)
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind and fire
O still small voice of calm.  

August 1^st

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 14

Dear Friends,
 
        Our Father
        who art in heaven
        hallowed be thy name
 
No church can be truly alive without prayer. An army marches on its stomach. Christians need to be fed, too. Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples when they were hungry. They had seen him praying and asked him to help them pray. He waited till they were hungry enough to ask.
 
Most of us know the Lord’s Prayer by heart. But there may may be occasions when we rattle it off quickly and get to the Amen before we realise what we have said. I hope this month I may encourage you to recapture something of the majesty, the wonder and the power of this remarkable prayer of Jesus.
 
None of us knows what tomorrow will bring – to our ears, our eyes, our pockets, or our health. We all have to live with a degree of uncertainty. Jesus’ disciples knew that only too well. But Jesus did want them to know one thing for certain – that God would remain their Father. No matter what they did, no matter how they behaved, no matter what might unfold, he would remain their Father. That was their starting point.
 
Our Father who art in heaven – well heaven might sound a long way away, but as one wise woman once said, heaven’s just a few inches beyond your reach. Close enough for us to be well within God’s reach – but not so close that we should think we have him in the palm of our hand. For his name is to be hallowed, kept holy. 

With every blessing,

August 8^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 15

Dear Friends,
 
        Thy kingdom come,
        Thy will be done
        On earth as it is in heaven
 
If you have got an itch, it’s terribly hard not to scratch it. This part of the Lord’s Prayer is where Jesus makes people itch, and then positively encourages us to scratch!
 
Royalty doesn’t always get a good press. There may be some kings and queens who are much loved and respected. But, by no means all! Jesus belonged to a people who made it their business to remember a bad king – Pharaoh, the one who had kept them under the yoke of slavery for a long time.
 
It took Moses’ people quite a time to realise that not all kings behaved like that. And when they called God their King he was nothing like Pharaoh. Quite the opposite, he was a king who wanted to set them free. But it took Jesus, crowned with thorns, to show that some kings might even die for their people.
 
Jesus makes us itch for something new and different. To pray that God’s kingdom might come is to look for, hope and live for a world that lives by radically different ‘rules’.
 
Now those who have the inner strength to resist scratching an itch are in some cases to be admired. But not when you are praying the Lord’s Prayer! Once you start saying Thy will be done then you are telling God that your resistance is diminishing to the point where you simply have to scratch. Jesus went far beyond saying Thy will be a good idea! But God forbid that we should confine such itching to narrowly religious areas. God’s will is to be done on earth as well as in heaven.  
 
With every blessing,

August 15^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 16

Dear Friends,
 
        Give us today our daily bread
 
What could be more simple or reasonable than that? This is surely the Lord’s Prayer at its most down to earth! In fact it is a radical statement of faith and trust. The language Jesus used takes us back to the 40 years when the people of Israel wandered through the blistering heat of the desert. That is an environment that does not lend itself to producing huge quantities of food. The only thing they could do was trust God. What God then provided was that mysterious manna or bread.
 
Trusting God does not always come easily, especially when the conditions around us are not exactly what we would like. But that is what Jesus asks us to do — actually trust God to give us what we need. 

But what exactly does daily bread constitute? A loaf or two? Enough to survive? Enough just for us? Or does it mean bread enough to share, or to give away? Bread enough to whet our appetite for searching for God’s will for us? Sometimes we might be tempted to think that God will give us just enough. When Jesus fed the 5,000 there was plenty of bread left over. We must never think of God’s love for us as reasonable. It’s outrageous! 

Now you can’t trust in God or his generosity if you then start laying down certain terms and conditions. [eg, I expect everything to be done my way, Lord, as it was in the beginning, etc]. You have to have your hands and your hearts open.   
 
With every blessing,

August 22^nd

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 17

Dear Friends,
 
        And forgive us our trespasses
        As we forgive those that trespass against us
 
When the people of Israel, under Moses, crossed the Red Sea it was a major step forward. They crossed a barrier which had breadth and depth and which had seemed insurmountable. 

Forgiveness, as far as Jesus was concerned, meant crossing a barrier just as broad and just as deep — and just as significant. 

Try not to pray this part of the Lord’s Prayer too quickly. (It took a while to cross the Red Sea). Asking God to forgive you may not be that hard. Accepting his forgiveness might be something else. There is just as much an art to receiving as there is to giving. 

Forgiving other people, well that seems to be a fundamental part of Jesus’ way of living. Sometimes we think we forgive people when all we are actually doing is putting them on probation. We’ll let bygones be bygones, providing.... Whether people will always accept the offer of forgiveness is a different matter, but don’t think this is an easy thing. It is not. 

In this part of the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to receive a precious gift. He also encourages us to let go of the bitterness, resentments, fears and anomosities that we can so easily harbour and nurture, and which can be so destructive.    
 
With every blessing,

August 29^th

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 18

Dear Friends,
 
        Lead us not into temptation
        But deliver us from evil
 
Every now and again, in our churches, there comes a sudden spark of clarity, a breath of inspiration, a sense of excitment and hope.  This is when people begin to dream, anticipate and imagine a new kind of future. It is often the point when we are truly listening to God. 

Then we take stock, we think of all that this would cost, how difficult things would be.  We think of all the obstacles that would need to be surmounted.  And we start thinking of all the reasons why we should stay exactly where we are.  Then, before you know where we are we have taken a step back. 

Jesus asked us not to be led into temptation for the very good reason that he knew we would be.  He also asked for us to be delivered.  Some people think of evil as something or someone out there.  [You can always tell, you know!?]  I think, though, that evil is anything (out there or inside us) that threatens to diminish or crush our spirits. 

When that spark of clarity is allowed to flourish, when the breath of inspiration can he held and cherished, when the sense of excitement can be welcomed and shared, then maybe the deliverance for which we long is not so far away.     
 
With every blessing,