July 2011

Last night I helped run an outreach event with our “Girls’ Night Out’ Group. Someone had suggested that our pamper/chocolate obsession was too girly and that is was time we did something more adventurous. When Claire, our dynamic business woman, started phoning round, all the offered prices were out of our comfort range: £35 for an hour was not going to be popular! So she offered a deal, we will bring 25 women and come on one of your quiet nights and we don’t mind sharing the quads- we are offering £10 per person. The owner went for it! The power of a charming persuasive woman with God on her side!!
When we started advertising it we had a mixed response, some of our regulars – who had raved about our cupcake and pimms night politely declined. But others, who had walked past our table and poster for the last two years approached with enthusiasm – ‘finally, something that my friends would actually love!”
As the evening approached, I was somewhat nervous. I am not renowned for my driving skills and the thought of being the slowest was not filling me with joy. As we loaded up the cars and set off I realised that most of the other women were feeling the same. Only a couple had ever tried this before.
We were greeted by two enthusiastic, mud spattered, young men, who seemed to be up for the challenge of 27 giggling women. We donned navy boiler suits, all in massive sizes and were given our driving briefing. Then we got on our quads, in two groups and started to negotiate the gears, throttle and steering. It took a while to get the hang of it, some were slower than others but with our huge boiler suits and cover-all helmets no one could tell who was who anyway!
Round the track we went to get used to the machines, then we set off on a trail through beautiful Dorset countryside, wheat crops and sheep, into the setting July sun. Whoops of delight could be heard as we whizzed through muddy puddles and negotiated rutted corners. Turning round, I could see lots of smiling women behind me.
Sian was the craziest and was bouncing with exuberance as she tried to overtake. Ruth was the slowest, as she trundled by shouting, ‘I am absolutely hopeless at this. It is fantastic, though and I definitely want to do it again!’
We were out for nearly an hour and when we returned to swap the bikes over, there was a sense of tiredness combined with exhilaration. Everyone grinned as they took off their helmets and exchanged stories of puddles, hedges and dodgem style bumps.
The leader had not actually realised how little we had paid and had given us way over our alotted time slot. Thank you God for the opportunity to be out in the countryside on a beautiful evening building friendships and enjoying a new experience together.
Zorbing in baked beans next?

Fiona Castle spoke movingly at a valedictory service for students leaving Moorlands Bible college recently. She quoted from this poem by G K Chesterton.

Lord, I want to play a role in the biggest adventure story of all time.
Use me to make a difference
Use me to touch lives in Your name.
Use me to help a broken person understand he is precious to you.
Use me to impact a young person for you.
Use me to soothe someone’s pain.
Use me to be the answer to someone’s pain.
Use me to have compassion for the disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Use me to defend the defenceless.
Use me to bring someone to you.

Use me to ease someone’s loneliness.
Use me to establish Godly values for those for whom I have responsibility.
Use me to deepen someone’s faith.
Use me to bring hope into someone’s despair.
Use me to bring Your light ineo someone’s darkness.
Use me to release somone from their guilt because of Your cross.
Use me to strengthen someone who cannot cope with life any longer.
Use me to bring a God perspective into someone’s thinking.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as thou wilt, and when, and where,
Until thy blessed face I see,
Thy rest, Thy Joy, Thy glory share