What gives you hope?

Although a little better today, I’m still not up to taking meetings and services and so others are filling in left right and centre and I’m most grateful to everyone.

Monday evening is an example – the LGBT group will still be meeting but will be led by one of its members rather than by me. I received a message describing it thus:

Theme for tomorrow’s LGBT group, Monday 17th Jan. 7.30pm at St Mary’s is HOPE. Those who wish may bring an object, story, poem or song to share with the group for 3 mins on this theme. What brings you hope now or what has brought you hope in the past? Sharing is entirely voluntary and anything shared is confidential. The group is a short friendly meeting with tea and coffee afterwards. All welcome. Please spread the word.

Sounds great and I wish I could be there myself.

However I’ll take the opportunity here and now to share something I’ve seen this week which gave me hope.

It is a video produced by a Muslim media organisation in the US which asked Muslims what message they would want to convey to the rest of the world. I remember seeing it a couple of years ago but its lost none of its impact and I think its a fabulous example of religious people communicating.

What gives you hope?

Almost there

As you walk about the streets round here, you can feel Ramadan drawing to a close. Whether it is the late night opening of the sweet shops or the fabric shops, with their giddy displays doing a roaring trade, you know that it cannot be long.

Tomorrow or Friday, I think someone said.

Suspense is in the air.