Yesterday's PAYG centred on some words of Jesus including the famous saying “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matt 9:37-38).

This little saying has puzzled me on and off for as long as I've known of it - rather than getting on and doing the work themselves, the disciples are to pray for other people to do the work.  That, in and of itself is fine.  The disciples already have a task to do, as they learn from Jesus.  It is also fine in so far as it is far too great a task (even within the relatively tiny confines of first century Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, never mind the 'rest of the world').  Where it is not fine, and never has been, at least in my opinion, is when it becomes a formulaic response to every issue, ill or opportunity... 'please God will you raise up people with gift/skill X to do job Y...' which can leave me/us feeling very self-righteous whilst actually doing nothing.  It's the old 'here I am, Lord, send her'.

In my late teens we used to sing this worship song with all earnest zeal of youth, whilst secretly hoping God would pick someone else to be the answer to our prayers:

Here I am, wholly available;

As for me, I will serve the Lord.

Here I am, wholly available;

As for me, I will serve the Lord.

The fields are white unto harvest,

But O, the labourers are so few;

So Lord, I give myself to help the reaping,

To gather precious souls unto You.

The time is right in the nation

For works of power and authority;

God’s looking for a people who are willing

To be counted in His glorious victory.

As salt are we ready to savour?

In darkness are we ready to be light?

God’s seeking out a very special people

To manifest His truth and His might.

Chris Bowater (c) Sovereign Lifestyle Music

To pray the Lord of the harvest to send more labourers, more missionaries, more evangelists, more aid workers, more "Christian teachers/police officers/lawyers/engineers/doctors" is a cop out, a biblically legitimated cop out, but a cop out nonetheless.  To pray, as we once sang 'here I am Lord, wholly available..." is theologically risky, because God might just say 'great, OK then...'

I wonder, do we take the holy cop out, or do we pray the risky prayer?  God is seeking a very special people, willing to manifest (i.e. incarnate) truth and light... Whom shall God send, and who will go...?

OK, it seems I'm a little slow picking this one up, but The Fairtrade Fondation have posted this press release about the 20120 Olympics.  I think it is a pretty impressive achievement, given how little control host venues actually have over details.  It's be nice to think that this might be the shape of things to come.

Just wondering  - if the Olympics has bought up all the Windward Islands fairtrade bananas for July/August, where will Sainsbury's get theirs?!

On Saturday I was at a wedding on the east side of Scotland, just a couple of miles inland, on a farm.  The weather could best be described as attrocious, and some guests struggled to get there - though get there they did - due to closed roads and local flooding.

The young couple had worked like trojans (an expression I always find rather odd and don't know the origins of) to ensure that everyone who came was welcomed and offered great hospitality.  Family and friends had joined in to clean and decorate the barn in which events took place, to gather and arrange flowers, to collect and prepare locally sourced food and drink.  A local ceilidh band including people with learning disabilties serenaded us during the wedding breakfast (another odd expression) and there was plenty of entertainment for all tastes.

To be honest, I feared they had over-stretched themselves, being totally committed to a hand-crafted (or as they put it 'home made') wedding, but it all came good.  The bride looked lovely in her vintage dress, the groom in his suit (nice to see an English man not pretending to be a Scot!) and the guests in their assorted finery... kilts, floaty dresses, suits, bling.... oh, and a wonderful medley of wellies and high heels!

If any one wants to know, I was the one in the peacock green suit and green wellies!  One of the guests, who knows about such things, said it was fine because the boots were darker than the suit...

S&W all good wishes for your future together.

Regular readers of this blog will have grown accustomed to the sight of the 'sponsor me' button on the right hand of this blog.  Well in a little over two months, this years event - the Ben Nevis Challenge' will be taking place.  I am really looking forward to meeting the other 100 or so walkers, some living with or beyond breast cancer, some supporting or remembering loved ones affected by it, some health-care professionals, and so on.  As part of the 'contract' I have to raise at least £500, and I'd love to raise more if I can, because it is a really good cause.

To augment my fundraising, I am holding a coffee morning and bring 'n' buy sale at the end of July.  I have lots of ideas for cakes and bakes, but today I decided to hit the shops for pink-themed items for my bring 'n' buy stall.

Those who know the real me, rather than the blog persona, will know that, despite owning a lovely fuchsia coloured suit, I do not, in general 'do' pink... I am not a pink and fluffy girl, always more the odd mix of a domesticated, pony-tailed tomboy really.

So why pink then?

Cancer (and other health related) awareness ribbons come in various colours, and breast cancer got pink.  As far as I can ascertain, it was originally a nice peach colour, but once it became widespread, it morphed in to more of a Barbiefied colour, to the eternal chagrin of many affected by this unpredictable disease which is so not pink or fluffy either.

Be all that as it may, pink is the colour, and fundraising the game, so this morning I went rather mad in Poundland and The Works (still have to visit Home Bargains)...

If you know me in the real world, I'd be thrilled if you felt able to sponsor me (follow the Justgiving link)

If you are in or around Glasgow and free on the morning of 28th July, do pop in to the Gathering Place for excellent Fairtrade coffee/tea/herbals and lovely sweet and savoury home-baking.

Or at least paper 'carnations' and other miscellaneous flora...

This morning I have been making prototype paper flowers ahead of Sunday's service - they needed to be quick and easy and suitable for people aged 3-8 to make.

I'm not overly impressed with the 'carnations' (white and gold) but I quite like the cake case flowers

Options

1. Use one muffin size cake case and one cupcake (normal) size case.  Put the larger one inside the smaller one.  Either scrunch and then tape to a wooden kebab skewer, or poke the skewer through the centre of the cakes and then scrunch and tape. (Large two tone flowers in picture)
2. Use three mini cases, one inside the other inside the other.  Pierce with kebab stick, scrunch, tape and then spread out 'petals' (small pink flowers in picture)
3. Use four mini cases, scrunch and tape to the 'side' of a kebab stick rotating a querter turn and adding each a little lower down with sticky tape.  This is the most fiddly! (small blue flower, centre front)

With small people beware the dangers of sharp pointy sticks... either cut off the points or cover them with tape, modelling clay or a chuck of eraser.  Don't want any accidents!