Morning everyone, I hope you are staying safe and well at home, below are some thoughts and resources.

The Wobble Room
I heard the other day about a hospital that had introduced a “Wobble Room”. A special room set aside where NHS staff could go to find peace and quiet and help when they were having a wobble, when things are just getting too much to cope with. The idea is to look after their mental health. There have always been “Wobble” rooms in hospitals, the Chapel, a quiet place of reflection to draw aside with God and spend time with him, to re-calibrate our lives and focus on our Saviour rather than our world and our problems. Perhaps we all need a “Wobble Room", or at least a “wobble” corner where we sit down and focus on God. Where we have a bible and some bible reading notes and a hymn book and some inspiring bible quotes printed out, and perhaps a journal to record our thoughts, so that when we have a wobble, we go to our Saviour and we find like the Psalmist -
He lifted me out of the ditch,
pulled me from deep mud.
He stood me up on a solid rock
to make sure I wouldn't slip.
Psalms 40:2
​
Some local examples of the Wobble Room

https://www.derrynow.com/news/coronavirus/531732/coronavirus-latest-wobble-room-launched-in-emergency-department-at-altnagelvin-hospital.html

https://www.granthamjournal.co.uk/news/hospital-creates-wellbeing-room-for-nhs-staff-who-need-to-cry-or-breathe-9105221/


Reading The Psalms
I keep offering ways that we can fill our minds with the things of God for two main reasons.

1. Although we need to be informed about how best to react to the Corona Virus, it will do us no good, mentally, to constantly listen to the same message of doom and fear over and over again, all day long.
2. We need a positive message to counteract the media, and there is nothing better than looking to God.

With that in mind I came across this approach to reading The Psalms in a month by reading 5 Psalms a day.
On Day 1 read Psalm 1 followed by Psalm 31 (1 + 30) and then Psalm 61 (31 + 30) and then 91 (61 + 30) and so on.
On Day 2 read Psalm 2, 32, 62, 92 etc.
And so on.
This means that you get a selection of Psalms each day rather than just a whole collection of the same type of Psalm. If you don’t have time to read them all, you could just skim read them until you find a verse that the Lord speaks to you through and then meditate on that one verse.

Tides
Yesterday in Tides, Stephen Richmond was writing about how the early church was persecuted in Acts. He says-
The remarkable thing was that the gospel spread and took root in these new communities. Lovers of Christ spoke about their love of Christ. Those who had found new life shared the things they had seen and heard. The Holy Spirit that had filled them in Jerusalem enabled and equipped them to proclaim the Christ. God builds his church in times of hardship.
God brings life from death. In the darkest of situations God moves and works and builds and saves. In our current struggles our church communities have been scattered from our buildings and regular activities, but we have a God who can and will build his church even in these difficult times.
These are dark days for all of us but they are days of the spread of the Gospel. We are no longer confined to a building on a Sunday, we are not ‘Stuck’ at home we are ‘Safe’ at home and able to share the good news of the Gospel of hope in Jesus Christ.

Day 33 - Trypraying 2020

THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father
Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For Thine is the kingdom
The power and the glory
For ever and ever
AMEN

Many of you have very different ways of coping with the “Stay At Home” advice. At least one person is following one of the online courses I mentioned last week. I’ve heard of a few sheds and garages being tidied up, and one member of our church managed to buy all the ingredients, and is now planning on baking their Christmas cake. (Strange how no one was panic buying Christmas Cake ingredients). I have started the mammoth job of scarifying our front lawn, just to make sure I spend a little more time outside. The spiritual parallels of digging deep and ripping out moss that is choking the grass will appear in a sermon at some stage in the future I guess. I’m sure many of you are reading or listening to music. I’ve had too many other things to organise this week, but I am also looking forward to reading and spending some time in bible study over the coming weeks. Below are a few ways that you can fill your time with things that are worthwhile.

Listen to the Bible
If you would like to listen to David Suchet read the NIV bible, the app for smartphone and tablet is available for free until Monday. More details and a link to your App Store below.
https://aimermedia.com/app/niv-audio-bible/
This is a real bargain!

These Three Remain
http://www.presbyterianireland.org/thesethreeremain
I’ll be mentioning this on Sunday in our online service. But there are numerous resources produced by our church.

To accompany the many things that congregations are doing in the current cessation of all regular gatherings of church members, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has launched an initiative called These three remain…
 
While so many things have changed in recent days, we want to remind ourselves of what remains core to our expression of life in God. And so we gladly recall the words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 13:13,
 
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.
 
The aim of the initiative is to draw congregations together in God to express his life and witness in this moment.
 
Content can be found at www.presbyterianireland.org/thesethreeremain and initially includes:
·         TIDES daily devotional
·         Let’s Pray weekly prayer points
·         In this moment a weekly prayer in direct response to some aspect of current events
·         TTR Blog reflecting on aspects of congregational life and worship in these days
·         TTR Podcast (coming soon) a weekly conversation on what is happening around congregations of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland
·         Links to Sunday Worship listing congregations broadcasting worship in addition to the Moderator’s weekly service
 
Hopefully there is something here that will be of encouragement to you and that you can share with members of your congregation as we journey together with God through this difficult season.

Today we have a few interesting thoughts and articles from around the world.

THOUGHTS ON REPENTANCE
A Devotional thought from Phil HoweTraining & Resources Manager Scripture Union NI 

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”  Luke 5: 31-32
 Coronavirus. The pandemic we are hearing about all the time.  Health seems to be the most important currency right now. Even if we feel remotely sick, we know we need to get help and take advice from medical professionals, the government, education authorities and specialist phone lines. If we are healthy, we are thankful we don’t need a doctor because doctors are for sick people.  Jesus was addressing people who thought they were spiritually ‘righteous’ and therefore, healthy. They were the religious elite who thought that they were the ‘good’ people.  They saw other groups of people as bad or ‘sinners’.  Tax collectors fell into this category. So, it seemed strange to them that Jesus was spending time with these ‘bad’ people.  Jesus responds with the verses above. He is trying to show us that until we realise our desperate need of him, we will never turn to him, which is what repentance is. He gives this great picture and comparison. If you’re sick, you see a doctor.  Similarly, if you’re a sinner and don’t meet God’s standards (which the Bible says means all of us), you go to the ‘Great Physician’.  He’s the one who can heal and restore, just like a doctor can the sick.  The lyrics of a song recently came to mind; ‘How great the chasm that lay between us… In desperation, I turned to… Jesus Christ, my living hope’.  ‘In desperation’ where are people turning to? Soap? Toilet rolls? Pasta? Hand Sanitiser? As Christians, how can we be a non-anxious presence and show faith instead of fear?  May this global situation and the build-up to Easter cause us to fix our eyes on Jesus, our Living Hope, who gives us a hope that even death can’t take away. My prayer is that as people watch and listen to the news, many will be reminded of the real hope Jesus offers, and many will come to know the Good News that we are seeking to make known.  What an opportunity!
 
Phil HoweTraining & Resources Manager Scripture Union NI

Belfast Telegraph 
The Belfast Telegraph are asking sporting stars how they are coping with the Corona virus. The text of the interview is below if you want to read it on the Belfast Telegraph Website then please click below. Claire is a Christian Doctor and a former Coleraine High School pupil.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/coronavirus-q-and-a-with-claire-mclaughlin-were-in-the-calm-before-the-storm-in-hospital-but-im-relying-on-gods-strength-to-get-me-through-39089467.html
Coronavirus Q&A with Claire McLaughlin: 'We're in the calm before the storm in hospital but I'm relying on God's strength to get me through

We are asking our sporting personalities how they are dealing with action coming to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic and how it has affected their daily lives.
Today, we speak to Ireland international rugby player and doctor Claire McLaughlin.

Q. How are you keeping?
A. I'm doing well, thanks. This is a bit of a strange time right now, and day to day it's hard to know how to feel, but I'm currently healthy and happy, working and training away.
Q. How have you been affected?
A. Sports-wise, for me the main thing that's been affected is rugby and the season being cut short. There's real uncertainty about when it might kick off again, so for now it's just about trying to keep fit while we're in this 'off-season' period. For me, this allows me to focus fully on rehab after having a frustrating season with a niggly ankle injury.
Day to day, I'm working as a doctor in the Ulster Hospital A&E. I've definitely been working a lot more hours over the past couple of weeks, and I'd say that will continue for the foreseeable. At the moment, we're experiencing the calm before the storm with regards Covid-19, which is a bit unsettling, as we're expecting it to get much more hectic over the next few weeks.
Outside of that, a few events and trips have been cancelled - my friend's wedding, my boyfriend's 30th birthday trip to Toulouse, numerous hen parties... it's been gutting but obviously the most important thing right now is that we reduce the spread of the virus, and play our part to help decrease the impact it could have.
Q. How are you keeping fit?
A. I plan to come out of this time fitter than before. I've borrowed some weights and have a nice little home gym set up to keep me strong - and sane - and I've actually just treated myself and purchased a Wattbike. I can't wait for it to arrive. I'm also doing two or three running sessions each week as part of my rehab/fitness.
Q. How are you keeping morale up? Is there much contact with team-mates?
A. We have a WhatsApp group with a weekly workout challenge, after which we have to post selfies and our scores, and there's usually a bit of banter. It's a good way to stay motivated, seeing everyone else training away and sending in the sweaty selfies!
Q. Where are you drawing your personal strength from now?
A. With so much uncertainty and this being such an anxious time, with not knowing how bad the virus might get, I'm definitely drawing my strength from God. Knowing that He is in control and He cares about us and our struggles through this gives me a real peace. I definitely do have worries about the impact this virus could have on family members, friends and our communities, but for me it's about taking each day as it comes and relying on God's strength to carry me through.
Q. With sports fans staying home, can you recommend a book or box set?
A. I would recommend Brian O'Driscoll and Dan Carter's autobiographies. I'm also keen to read Rory Best's recent book. Other books I've enjoyed recently fall into the health/wellbeing category - 'Why We Sleep' by Prof Matthew Walker and 'The Chimp Paradox' by Prof Steve Peters were really interesting. I barely ever watch TV, but I would 100% recommend Prison Break and Grey's Anatomy.
Q. Are there life lessons you can learn from this crisis?A. I'm definitely learning what's important in life - not being able to see friends or family has been really difficult, so it's made me appreciate how important these connections are. It's also made me realise how privileged we are to have the freedom to do what we want, when we want.
Q. When this is all over, what's the first thing you will do?
A. I will go to see my boyfriend, and my friends and family. I will probably take some time off work, and hopefully plan a trip away somewhere. I also can't wait to go out for brunch and coffee again!
Q. What message do you have for sports fans?
A. I would say be patient, sport will be back. I heard a guy chatting about the coronavirus and sport last week and he said, "Of all the things that don't matter at all, sport is the most important". I think that rings true for a lot of people. There's a reason we all use our free time to train or watch men, women and children run around a field with a ball - it captivates us, unites us, and brings us such enjoyment.
Obviously people are going to miss not having it, but we have to face up to the bigger picture - the important thing now is to protect ourselves and our communities, and do what we can to reduce the spread of coronavirus. So the key is to follow the government and public health guidance - stay at home, leave only to do the essentials, keep your distance from others and, of course, wash your hands!

The Wailing Wall In Jerusalem
This picture below shows the supervised removal of prayers posted in the Western Wall in Jerusalem since last September. The notes are being buried and the wall itself disinfected. What a privilege to be able to talk directly to God in prayer and know that he deals with our prayers immediately and doesn’t leave them lying around for months.