More Oldies

These are old memories, new memories, old tales and new tales……

One of the privileges of ministry in churches is the pastoral work. People allow you into their homes, their lives, their thoughts and their dreams as well as their sorrows and hurts. When I visited the Old Folks or people who rarely got out to church I was often told how much they enjoyed the BBC’s Songs of Praise. It helped them to feel part of the community of the church and was their way of joining in worship. I rarely see the programme on a Sunday afternoon – it tends to be before I am ready to switch the television on – but in recent weeks I have enjoyed watching it on the BBC iplayer (repeats of popular programmes are available online, usually for 7 days.) The thing is, that I find myself in floods of tears. It is as if I am connected with all those old people, many of whom have now died. And that leads me down pathways of memories of all the good advice and encouragement I received from many of those people.

The question is this: how do we turn into people with good advice and encouragement for others? It is too easy to give well-meaning advice that is plain wrong for the situation and the person. I guess it is a trap we all fall into at some time or another. In the meantime, perhaps I should read some inspirational books.