However, now that I’ve lived in Fife for some twelve years, I’ve come to see that Fifers are much the same as everyone else. That is, until recently, when I was asked to conduct a wedding for a Fife couple in February. Immediately, I thought that a popular and appropriately romantic date for a wedding would be St Valentine’s Day, February 14th, but I was wrong. The couple had chosen February 29th.

I pointed out that this was a leap year and that their Anniversary would only come around every four years.

‘Exactly’, or words to that effect said the groom … ‘only one Anniversary present every four years.’

Maybe we were right all along?

No, it has nothing to do with the 29th; it was the only date that could be booked to fit in with all the plans and commitments of the family. A Beatles song comes to mind, ‘Money Can’t Buy Me Love’. I’m sure that those four year Anniversaries will be four times extra special for the couple concerned.

 God Bless

John

Her husband, who is an Anglican Vicar, was a dear friend and colleague when I was a Minister in Newcastle upon Tyne. He had met his wife Helen whilst they were part of an enthusiastic team in the city called Tyneside Youth For Christ.

That team of young folk worked ‘by faith’, i.e. for no official wages from anyone for years, in the city centre among drug addicts, alcoholics and down and outs … as well as many other ‘ordinary’ young people. They were committed to helping Churches reach out to the youth of the city.

They were married and moved to Redcar where they worked in a local Church. Last year, she was involved in a car accident but never really completely recovered. She died on Hogmanay of a DVT. as a result of her injuries.

The Vicar, although distraught, was able to be optimistic concerning her eternity. ‘John’, he said, ‘she knew where she was going and was at peace.’

He takes great comfort in that thought and also in their only child, their daughter Jade.

Please, in your thoughts and prayers remember Rob and Jade.

Two questions come to mind … why does God allow such things and if something like that happened to you would you know the same peace?

God Bless,

John MacSporran (Collydean Granary Baptist Church)

A text to help you Psalm 34:19

I was thinking of a marvellous line in a Bob Dylan song, ‘I saw a shooting star tonight and I thought of you’.

Now let me try and join up some ideas that are in my head …

There is a verse in the Gospel of John that you could easily read and not really notice much. It goes like this, ‘It was winter and Jesus was walking in the temple’.

Many of us, after the celebrations and over-indulgences of the Festive Season and the prospect of the long dark, dreech Scottish January nights ahead of us to thole … go S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) or in layman’s terms suffer a dose of ’winter depression’.

Perhaps you’re already on my case and can see where I’m heading with my verse from John’s Gospel … Jesus was and is a ‘man for all seasons’. When we follow him, we may face great trials, tests and darkness in our lives but we can take heart that he too has walked in winter.

I once overheard, when I was a wee boy, my Grandfather talking about seeing a shooting star. At that time I had never seen one. The reason being, I had never really looked for one. The only way to see a shooting star is to look up into the sky … and, if we do it regularly, we will regularly see shooting stars.

Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying, ‘we are all in the gutter but some of us are looking up at the stars’.

Take a leaf out of his book this dreech, damp, dark January and look up into the vastness of Jesus walking … and guess what? You will see extraordinary light even in the most mundane of Bible verses.

God Bless,

John

We had a good Christmas at Collydean Granary Baptist Church. Apart from our Advent services, we also were treated to a Christmas Musical, ‘Woops-a-Daisy Angel’ put on by the children of the Church. Fifty-five were in attendance on Christmas Eve … a modern day record for us and we all enjoyed the production.

On the Sunday between Christmas and New Year, we welcomed ten new members into our Church and after the service we sat down to a lovely meal together. I particularly enjoyed the steak pie!

On behalf of the folk at Collydean Church, let me wish you and yours a happy and prosperous New Year in 2008 and extend a welcome to you to join us at any of our services.

We look forward to the New Year ahead as a time of opportunity and growth … won’t you come and join us and be part of it?

God Bless,

John

On behalf of Collydean Granary Baptist Church, may I extend a warm invitation to you and your family to join us as we celebrate Christmas.

Apart from our four ‘advent’ Sunday services leading up to Christmas we also have our Christmas Eve Family Service which will be led by the children of the Church.

More details of these services are found inside and also information about a visit on Saturday 1st December of Billy McKee, Minister of a Church in East Kilbride. He will be bringing a few of his members to speak of the work in their Church. Some will give personal stories of how God has helped them overcome life-controlling problems.

 God Bless

John