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Rushing is a part of life. We might want an-always-relaxed life. But we will miss that bus; get on the wrong train; forget that anniversary; fail to attend a scheduled medical procedure. That is just life! None of us are good enough to never face the stress of life! But if everyday is filled with rushing around, then there is something really wrong in our approach to living. The Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber had 4 jet engines that it shared with the Concorde with one important difference – the Vulcan didn’t have the ability to ‘go to afterburner’. But, instead, the pilot could choose to go beyond 100% of their capacity. It was only for a limited time, but it gave an extra boost as needed. I think the rush of life is us working at beyond 100% capacity. Yes, we can do it. But we should be going out of our way to do so, even less if we’re doing that to serve God as God never rushes. So, give life all you’ve got, but keep a handle on how often you rush. Just a thought… Andy B

It can sometimes be challenging to accept even the most basic of truths of the Bible; of heaven and hell; of God’s nature. But there is one thing we should never have to question and that is whether God is in a rush or not. We can have differing views of all sorts of things when it comes to how we interpret the bible. But, when it comes to God being in a hurry, the answer is that He simply can not ever be in a hurry. E V E R! And the reason is simple – God made time; He exists outside of time and, if you aren’t tied to time, you’d not be in a rush either. If you know, righteously, that you’ve been given something to do by God then don’t ever doubt that God will equip you to carry it out. It is simply outside of his nature to trick us into failing. The only issue, really, is whether or not what we think is what God intended. Discerning His will can be a challenge because it often goes against our own pre-conceived thoughts. But, one thing that will never be in question is this: Is God in a rush? If you’re asking that questions, the answer is no! God is not rushing!! Just a thought… Andy B

When my children were much younger I had a pretty hearty disagreement with one of their teachers. I wonder whether you agree with my point of view or their teacher. When they were enrolled in one particular school they had started with really beautiful handwriting. I know, because we had taught them to write like that. They could write extremely well, and it was easy to understand the letters, words and sentences they used in the written form. So I was pretty upset when I looked at some of their school work the teacher said was great, only to realise I could barely understand anything I was trying to read. When I confronted their teacher I was told that the most important thing is not being able to read what is written, but simply ensuring the children use correct grammar and sentence structure. I did not agree with their teacher and I’m confident they knew I did not agree with their ‘perspective’! When we communicate something the most important element is ensuring that people can understand what it is that we are seeking to communicate – whether that is through speech or the written word. You can have the perfect spoken voice, but if you can’t speak in a way that people can grasp what you are trying to say, then your perfect voice is better kept away from any form of teaching. Sometimes we need to adapt how we speak or write. But sometimes, it can be as simple as slowing down our speech or handwriting speed. Just a thought… Andy B

Whatever you to keep you occupied during the day you are making plans. Perhaps you aren’t even conscious of doing so but you do! I’ve often been accused (not kindly) of winging everything I do and never thinking through anything. My wife always laughed people stated that – she knew the reality and it involved lots of planning, back ups and redundancies with all potential issues mapped out with a probable solution. That’s why I was able to deliver a 60 minute All Age Service that always finished to within 60 seconds of 60 minutes exactly – planning, and plenty of it. On radio we try to work to finish each hour within 10 seconds of the end of that hour. Me? I tend to work towards being less than 1 second under or over every hour. How is this possible? Well I’m pretty confident at what I do. That helps – of course it does. The other big help is that I care very little for mistakes I make because I’m human! Whatever you are seeking to do something important, or something that simply affects the lives of others, make a plan and think through what could go wrong – the obvious things – and have something up your sleeve just in case it does go wrong. And, above all, remember you’re a human not a cyborg, so learn to roll along with the resistance!

S06E003, Going Live, Andy B 2 Minute Video Preparation is king! You just can’t beat coming up to something which needs your full attention, to be already relaxed by the effort you put in before hand. In September 2023 I led a small but dedicated team to launch a Global Media Organisation – a Radio Station which was UK based, but with a Global Heart. And we did it! But it didn’t just ‘happen’ randomly – it took lots of effort to ensure that when we were ready to broadcast to the world that we had the correct licences, a broadcasting system, computers, music and many more parts of the puzzle! In life we need to be prepared. Sure, things will come along which we aren’t expecting, but if we’ve already done all we can we can relax and simply carry on doing our best knowing we could do better. And there is a great deal of comfort in that because life will always throw a few unexpected issues our way! Just a thought… Andy B

Have you ever prayed for something and waited for an answer from God - only for the answer not to be the one you really wanted. I know I have! There’s an old story about a man who is stuck at the bottom of a cliff, with the sea threatening to drown him so He cries out to God. In the story God hears the prayer and sends a man in a boat, then a helicopter with a winch and finally a couple who spot the man while walking their dog who are willing to rescue that man. Each time the man on the rocks refuses the help “because he is waiting for God to rescue him”. The story continues that the man eventually drowns and, when he meets Peter in heaven, he demands to know why God did not rescue him - only to be told that God actually did send three rescuers... If you’re crying to God for help, remember that he really did send a helper and His name is Jesus Christ: Jesus died a horrible death, some 2,000 years ago, for you and I in order that we can have a relationship with God, an assurance of our eternal destination and an overwhelming peace in this life. None of that was possible without the sacrifice Jesus made in laying His life down for others. So, if you ask God for help, be willing to swallow your pride and take the help He offers. Because it may not be what you were hoping for. But, when God helps you, it will always be exactly what you need. Just a thought… Andy B For all our Social Links www.berrybunch.org/allthesocials Support Online https://www.berrybunch.org/SupportUs

If you’ve ever removed a screw and put it back in to the same hole, you may know what feeling of panic when that screw simply keeps turning, and won’t tighten anymore. The hole has become worn, and so needs something to hold that screw firmly back in place. A simple trick I was taught decades ago is to simply push in half a matchstick (and with the burning part removed!) and try that screw again. The tiny sliver of wood literally packs out the hole and gives the screw something to bind against, so it can be tightened properly. Perhaps try again with an additional half a match stick until that screw holds tight again. Various moments in our lives cause to wiggle around a bit and we can become a bit loose, but what do we fill those voids with? Well, we can apply a similar solution to that wiggle room we have created in our lives, and pack those voids around us. Only, we use the Holy Spirit to fill those gaps and there is never a risk of a sore finger! God uses boundaries to protect us, but as we push and pull against them we can work our way loose away from Him. How do we make it right again? Just spend some time reading the bible, praying to God or listening to the Holy Spirit - and you’ll soon find that wiggle room has been healthily re-filled. Sure, wiggle room can enable you to get away with things! But you simply won’t feel as secure as when you can be held tightly in the arms of God. So, stop wriggling! Just a thought… Andy B Enjoy this video, best, on our website: https://www.berrybunch.org/Articles/674950/S06E001_Matchstick_Solutions.aspx For all our Social Links www.berrybunch.org/allthesocials Support Online https://www.berrybunch.org/SupportUs

How many projects end up being sold, in pieces, on eBay? From project cars to project kitchens, we all have those things we begin and never complete. But the worst thing we can ever do is to simply never begin something. Sure, the road might be long and tough, but you can never finish the project you never begin. I’m not talking about putting things off, but actually intentionally not beginning them! Jesus said we’ll be able to do greater things than He did. Now, I have to admit that scares me a little, and confuses me a little bit too. It scares me because I can’t contrive how I’ll ever be able to do anything greater than what we saw Jesus do! And it confuses me because I’ can’t contrive how I’ll ever be able to do anything greater than what we saw Jesus do! If God’s given you a project then take the first step towards the finish line, and make that first step! It may be as simple as telling someone about what you think God has asked you to do – so they can encourage you and hold you account when you’re not getting it ‘done’. It may be enrolling a night class, or making a phone call. But, whatever that first step is, take it. Because you’ll never stand on the finishing line if you don’t, first, stand on the starting line. Just a thought… Andy B

”Pride goes before a fall”. You ever heard that phrase? It’s actually taken straight out of the bible, from Proverbs 15 verse 18 and it’s another nugget of eternally rich wisdom that reminds us not to think too much of ourselves. Pride is one of things that blinds us to the obvious truth - much like the fable of the emperor’s clothes. So proud was that king of wearing the finest clothes in his kingdom, only to miss the obvious – he’d been tricked into wearing nothing at all, by his pride. I knew two men who both nearly lost their loves either climbing a ladder, or fixing a shower. What was it that drove them to try? Well, perhaps saving money might have been a factor, But, ultimately, pride goes before a fall and it goes before falling from a great height and electrocuting ourselves too when you don’t take appropriate precautions like setting the ladder on a flat surface at the correct angle, or turning the power off first. What is the opposite? Humility. And you can’t ‘do’ humble, you can only ‘be’ humble. I’m pretty sure that that ladder climbing or shower fixing friends of mine were humbled as equally as the intelligent physicist I knew who put the hot ashes from their BBQ straight into the bin. Which caught fire. Which they threw water on, causing an explosion from the glass bottles they’d also just put in the bin. Just because we can doesn’t mean we should. And intelligence doesn’t equate to living longer!! So have a care, and pursue humility, so it doesn’t end up becoming the final master of your life. Just a thought… Andy B

Goodness is a good thing. And it’s only natural to say that God is good. And, yet, describing God as good actually – on it’s own – devalues God, because He is so much more than just good! Yes God is good, but God is more than good and our word “good” can not describe enough of God’s goodness. It can only paint something of God. It is not the complete answer. Likewise, all that is good is not necessarily of God. There is plenty of ‘good’ around us, but sometimes, that good, is not of God. Which means, in turn, that we sometimes perceive as good, actually is not. Well meaning might be a better phrase, but we can all think of people who are well meaning who create more issues than they solve. Let’s not limit God to [only being] good. Because God is so much more than good. Just a thought… Andy B

I’ve worked alongside, or under, some great leaders in churches and in businesses, and voluntary organisations. And, sadly, I’ve also served around people who love to use their position to bully others and, the most successful approach I’ve seen to achieve this, is through creating grey areas of information and knowledge. Think about the last half dozen big names in the Christian world who ended up failing either morally or criminally and you’ll encounter people who were allowed to create grey areas around them: grey areas allow us to operate without accountability and that always ends badly. Because grey areas, ultimately, simply allow us to manipulate others in to doing what we want. Put simply, grey areas are not healthy for anybody, and for churches least of all, because they can never promote healthy and righteous flexibility! A classic grey area I’ve come up against is when someone asks when children should return to the adult church service. The response is, invariably, we’ll let you know when we’re ready. That’s a grey areas right there, and I can state that it does not need to be. God is big enough to coordinate the reconnection of His people, when they have gathered to worship Him. Let us never allow ourselves – or others – to create grey areas that deny the opportunity for either accountability or transparency. Just a thought… Andy B

Instagram, devotional, pauseforthought, SpeakTruth, GoDo, honesty, thought, Godstuff, onelifeliveit, onelifeliveit, criticism, constructivecriticism, ruin, sudden, accountable, accountability, listen, peaceful, peaceable, S05E096, Do You Accept Criticism? Andy B 2 Minute Video Nobody likes being put down. In fact, being put down as a child is so traumatic it can have terrible life-long consequences. As adults we don’t like that level of criticism either because, if you’re constantly criticised in your job, you won’t try harder. You’ll simply give up trying altogether. The bible makes it clear that we need to be accountable to others, and that does include being willing to listen to criticism. We may not like it, but there is a strong warning when we don’t listen to criticism. It doesn’t mean we accept abuse or act on everything we hear. It doesn’t mean we allow our time to be taken up listening to criticism. And it also doesn’t mean we pretend to listen to criticism only to disregard it. As ever we need to act with wisdom, and pursue the peace of God that transcends all understanding. Why should we listen to people who are critical? Well the bible states that if we always ignore criticism and rebukes that we will find ourselves, with no warning, broken beyond repair. And that is not a place I ever want to find myself in! So, act wisely, make yourself accountable and be wiling to hear criticism. Just a thought… Andy B