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I don’t know what the weather will be like when this blog is aired but I am writing this in June when the temperature is reaching 30 o C in some parts of the UK. For those who like the sun, we enjoyed a long sunny spring with little or no rain. With warming temperatures due to climate change, we might hope for hot weather for the holiday season, but, as I write, the present warm weather is expected to end in thunderstorms and heavy rain. Not what most people want for the summer. Some people do like it hot so they can bring out the deckchairs, the barbecues, the paddling pools and the sun lotion. They enjoy every minute of it and hope it lasts all summer long. Others head for the shade and keep out of the sun as much as possible, dreading the sleepless nights. We are not all the same and have different likes and dislikes and that’s a good thing. However, whatever our differences in physique, temperament or preferences, we are all made in the image of God (Genesis 1.26), and our differences reminder us that we cannot pin Him down to our own personal image. We need to see God in other people, even those we disagree with or do not like. At present, the daily headlines from around the world, and from our own land as well, show how little we do that as we hear of conflicts, military, economic and personal, breaking out and continuing to escalate. Our God is the God of the infinite variety of Creation, of which we, in our diversity, are just a part. To destroy or hurt those who bear His image or to damage the environment He created is to turn our back on the Author of Life and to deny His imprint on the people and places which He created.  Jesus asks us to love one another (John 15.12), even our enemies (Matt.5.44), because God offers His love to all. Jesus said, ‘He makes His sun to shine on bad and good people alike, and gives rain to those who do good and to those who do evil’ (Matt.5.45[GNB]). In the knowledge that God loves you, I hope you enjoy the summer, whether you are on holiday or not, but finding the sun you desire or the shade you prefer.

One of the highlights of summer is that it is the cricket season, with lots of excitement in the Tests and international as batsmen invent new ways of getting runs – strokes of genius!. The game can be played by local teams up and down the country every weekend in the summer months because of one thing - the long summer days. It is these, with the ability to play long into the evening, that allow the time for the matches to be completed. But we wouldn’t have the long summer days if God had not thought, at the time when He was creating all things and putting everything in its place, to give the Earth an extra twist. When He fixed the Earth at just the right distance from the Sun so that this planet would be neither too hot nor too cold for life, and gave it a size which has just the right mass so that the resulting gravity would hold an envelope of air without making it too difficult for us to move around, He also tilted the planet. Instead of the Earth having a polar axis which went straight up, God tilted it so that the North Pole leans towards the Sun in the summer. As a result, this give us the longer days and warmer weather which is just right for playing cricket. It could be said that this was a stroke of genius, but the whole of Creation, with all the myriad little details which all fit and work together so well, is the work of the only One who really deserves the title of Genius, the Almighty God. It means that we, and God, can enjoy watching those graceful strokes of bat on ball, and hearing the ecstatic shouts of ‘Howzat?’ as fielders seek confirmation that the ball has triumphed over the bat. If God delights in the grace and skills shown in the game of cricket, did He also arrange for its invention as a reflection of the life to which He calls us? Every batsman at the crease is on his own, facing all that the opposition can throw at him - the power and speed of the fast bowler, the guile of the spinner, and the intimidation, both physical and mental, from the surrounding fieldsmen - just as we have to face the difficulties and challenges of a world where evil strives to predominate. There is, of course, some help for the batsman as there is another team-mate out there to give some encouragement and take the pressure off when it is his turn to take strike, just as we have people who will stand by us and walk with us on our journey of faith. There is also the rest of the team back in the pavilion and the supporters shouting their approval of our efforts - the great crowd of witnesses as Hebrews 12.1 [GNB] describes them. Some of the team will be waiting for their turn to walk onto the pitch after watching our efforts. What strokes of genius will we play, with God’s help, in the innings of our life, for the advance of His Kingdom, or what solid defence of the Gospel will we make, to delight the Lord our God and to encourage others as they come to the crease to play their part?

Have you ever heard young children arguing about their fathers & who has the best Dad? It can get a bit competitive, starting simply with ‘My Dad’s better than your Dad!’, but going on to pick out personal details. ‘My Dad’s bigger than you Dad!’ My Dad’s stronger than your Dad! My Dad’s got more money than your Dad! My Dad can do this … or that … or the other … better ! There may be a degree of truth in these claims, but often, if the argument goes on long enough, there is likely to be more than a little exaggeration as each child tries to justify how good their parent is and builds into their description something of the ‘ideal’ father of their imagination. In many ways, our father is better than any other father simply because he is our father and we know that he loves and cares for us. It is interesting that, in comparing fathers, children rarely say ‘My Dad’s better than your Dad because he loves me more, cares for me more, teaches me right from wrong’. After all, these are the things which count more in bringing up a child well. The best Father, without exaggeration, is our heavenly Father. Jesus, the Son of God, taught that we could call Him our ‘Father’. He will be our Father if we join His family, Through faith in Jesus as the Son of God and following Him, we can become children of God, brothers and sisters of the Lord Jesus. God is an Eternal Father an Almighty Father a Loving & Compassionate Father No exaggeration! He will not always give us what we want, as He wants the best for us, but He will be always there for us & we are always in His love and care.