The Kingdom blog

Wednesday - earrings, flip-flops and sunshine
So I've decided to try this blogging on signs of the kingdom I posted about yesterday. I'll probably post a day late and others will just have to cope with the signs of the kingdom which I may perceive being buried in the middle of my messy ongoing blog.
Today I had a surprise coffee (well tea in my case) with my twice risen from the dead friend Heather. She's an international health care development worker but spent 3 months in hospital over Christmas and New Year having her gall bladder and 90% of her pancreas removed. She's also a survivor of breast cancer. We had a wonderful conversation about how to challenge the churches to take their role in health care seriously in the developing world and she told me about her IBIG idea to try to offer an alternative and sustainable model of health care management. More about that at a later date in the journal we we meeting to draw up an outline for. The sign of the kingdom for me was Heather's extraordinary knowledge, energy and commitment, her desire to want to help transform things for the better. The symbol of all of that for me were her beautiful earrings which danced in the sunlight and seemd to reflect all that intelligence and commitment. (I have not before admitted to my secret earring obsession on my blog, I suppose this is the moment). It was a blessed and invigorating 45 minutes which helped me look forward with enjoyment to planning my future work, a time to truly give thanks for.
The other sign of God's Kingdom today were the bright green flip-flops (thongs) on the feet of Eric Matinenga. When he was unlawfully imprisoned his shoes were taken away from him, as for all prisoners, this of course increases the risk of infection in the fairly basic and unhygienic prison. When he was due to appear in court his lawyers and fellow prisoners found his the pair of fluorescent green flip-flops so that this great lawyer and elected member of parliament in Zimbabwe could at least have something on his feet when he went to court. Their bright-greeness brought a smile to my face despite the deep tragedy facing the whole population in Zimbabwe. They spoke to me of care for another human being's dignity, of resistance to being treated inhumanely and of the extraordinary committed work of the Zimabawe Lawyers for Human rights - they taught us a great deal about speaking the truth to power. That Kingdom is about transformation.
And today the sun shone and it was FABULOUS after the grey and the cold and rain. Thank you God.