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Spirit of the Flame - 70 days following the Olympic Torch
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DAY 18

Oh the frustration of not having 3G coverage everywhere! I wanted to watch the Olympic torch today more than any day so far, as going from Derry to Newry, it passed through Enniskillen, Portadown, Gilford and Banbridge, where our son was born, daughter was born, we lived, and I pastored. So much of the time the livestream went blank. So frustrating. But I got to see some things. Nice to know the flame went past at least one Seventh-day Adventist Church. As we consider the presence of the Olympic torch covering the UK and into Ireland, let us continue to think of the presence of God moving across our nations.

Also today was the service commemorating the 60th Jubilee of the reign of Elizabeth II in St Paul's Cathedral. Watching the sermon that the Archbishop of Canterbury, DrRowan Williams, presented, I felt some agreement and it brought some thoughts to my mind.

Dr Williams spoke of dedication. That alone made me think of Roy Castle singing DEDICATION on "Record Breakers" (it's worth a listen to the words on Youtube). Anyway, Williams went on to say, "To declare a lifelong dedication is to take a huge risk, to embark on a costly venture. But it is also to respond to the promise of a vision that brings joy."

Williams and others today talked of the Queen's dedication to her role and responsibilities as monarch. The common agreement seemed to be that Elizabeth II has contributed tirelessly in her efforts over 60 years. A worthy epitaph let alone to be able to say this publicly in her hearing.

So what of our lives? If we claim to be followers of Jesus Christ, or if we are interested enough to want to investigate knowing about God, how much dedication is needed? Is it a matter of working out how little we can get away with, or should we be so dedicated that clock watching is irrelevant? 

I think that if we are to experience the presence of God in our lives, we need to dedicate our lives in a way that our interaction with God saturates every aspect of our lives. It is not a matter of how much time do I have to give to God, but how can I fit God into all my waking hours.

It is nice that the Queen has dedicated her life to her role, especially as she did not get a choice about the succession. You get a choice about God. If you want the presence of God in your life you get to choose. Are you ready for the dedication? It's a "huge risk...a costly venture" but it "brings joy"!

-Pr Nathan Stickland

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