This is not a Game

Those who know me know that I am involved, albeit in a small way, in the campaign for justice in Burma. Few people would have missed the protests in Burma on the television where thousands of monks took to the streets in peaceful protest, many of whom were met with violence from the police and armed forces. I hope that you were moved as I was when you saw the images. Therefore, I hope that you will join me in committing to keep your television off on August the 8th, 2008.

Burma has one of the most oppressive military governments in the world. It is actively involved in violent oppression of the countries ethnic minorities, violent suppression of any campaigners for democracy or freedom of speech, and persistant use of forced and child labour including in its military. Unfortunately, although there has been great international support for Aung Sang Suu Kyi (Burma's rightful leader and the only living imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner) and the rest of the pro-democracy movement, any meaningful attempts and international pressure have consistently been blocked by China, Burma's biggest financial, military and political support.

China has a shameful human rights record of its own. Even the Olympic building programme has been criticised for its alleged use of forced labour, forced eviction and diversion of water from villages. This is why I ask you to boycott watching the Olympics or supporting it in any way (e.g. avoid buying Olympic branded products or buying products from Olympic sponsors). PLease encourage your friend sna dfamily to do the same.

In 1936 Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany got tremendous publicity by the displays of "international solidarity" at the German-hosted Olypic games. Please do not allow China to do the same.

The parable of the Taggie® of great price!

This might not look like anything precious to you. The photo doesn't do it justice. If you looked closely you would see the velour is worn in places, it is utterly filthy with bits of food, snot and grime on it, and its lost one of its tags. However, to my 14 month old son, it is desperately precious. He has had it since he was born. It has to be there when he goes to sleep. It has to be there when he wakes. The first thing my wife and I do when we go in to console him is to give it back to him and, 9 out of 10 times, it works. In fact, it is so precious, we have had to buy an identical one just so it can occasionally go in the wash!

But tragedy struck today. As my wife was pushing my son round ... well, a supermarket that I shan't admit to frequenting... she heard the familiar cry of " 'aggy. 'aggy" (Reuben says six words: Mum, Dada, 'es, no, ta and 'aggy!). Indeed, the Taggies were missing from the pushchair. She retraced her steps and checked at the customer service desk: No Taggies. I searched the house and went back and walked every aisle of Tes... err .. the shop. Twice! I also asked at the desk: No Taggies. "Check back later, these things have a habit of turning up." Said the optimistic assistant. "A 0.3m2 piece of dirty blue fabric in 10,000m2 of shop? I don't think so." I thought to myself.

Both the original and replacement Taggies were lost. Reuben screamed throughout his lunchtime nap and screamed when I left him at creche. I felt awful. So, having already searched for the replacement Taggies, I set about searching everywhere I had been since the last time we remembered seeing the original Taggies: the streets (no), the park (no), the library (closed), about 12 charity shops (gulp!). What hope did I have of finding it among the piles of second hand goods of North Cardiff? What if it had been sold?

I then remember a devotion I read in a wonderful book called God360*. This isn't your typical devotional book, rather it encourages practical actions for spiritual lessons. One that I had never had the guts to do was to give something very precious to a charity shop, as a meditation on the cost of losing and redeeming something of value**. Not just your favourite CD or book, but something small but really valuable to you.
Your wedding ring?
The first present from your girlfriend?
I couldn't do it then, but now I prayed to God that I'd find this precious item. I usually struggle with prayer and give so few of my needs up to God (and He knows, I need his help!) but I prayed in earnest this time.

I browsed the first shop. The second I looked and asked at the desk. They were kind enough to check the stock room but it wasn't there. The third shop, it was there. Lying in a box of children's toys.

"How much is this?" I asked.

The elderly lady turned it over in her hands. I am sure I detected a look of disdain at handling the dirty rag. "I have no idea." She replied "Twenty pence?"

"Can you hold it for me?" I yelled as I dashed out the shop to the cash-point.

When I returned I emptied my wallet of the crisp, ten pound note and laid it on the counter. "Oh! Haven't you anything smaller?" She asked.

How much does this mean to me? The question was rhetorical and it took me no time to speak. "Keep the change"

"But its only 20p!" She exclaimed. Should I explain, or just keep quiet?

"I know" I smiled "Have a nice day."

You, like me, might struggle daily with feelings of worthlessness. There are days I feel used up and no good for anyone. Fit only for the charity bin or rubbish dump. But however dirty or worn or torn-up you are, really, truly, you are immensely precious to Christ and his father, YOUR Father. No matter where you've got yourself lost, he would and did empty his wallet out on the counter and give everything he had to buy you back.

That's how much he loves you.

*(To download a pdf file of the entire God360 devotion "Lost and Found" click here.)
**(This was the text but also see the parable of the lost coin or the pearl of great price.)