The final words of a prayer by vicar Eric Delve 'I want to be your man' have remained with me this week. They reminded me of King David being a man after God's heart, warts 'n'all, faults 'n' all. They also reminded me of the Rolling Stones classic 'I wanna be your man' addressed to some girl. I couldn't help but sing it rephrased to God. After a great mens' day out in Southampton with Eric Delve sharing his passion for Christ, I have certainly been stirred to reaffirm my declaration to God : 'I want to be your man'. The song by the Stones is interesting, in that it was written by Lennon & McCartney. That the Beatles would give one of their songs to their big rivals of the Sixties is a wonder. Maybe there is a challenge there for men not to hold on to things. True Christianity reflects God's giving away of Himself. On this day my Dad would have been 85. He died just over five years ago after a long struggle with cancer. He was a hero to me for a number of reasons: He took me to my first football match. He passed on to me his interest in photography. He took on the Christian faith in later life that I witnessed to him. He humbled himself and apologised to me after we had had a big fall-out and accepted my apologies when I failed in some way or other. He died the death of a hero for me because he never complained about the suffering he endured. That's my father. My Father in heaven draws a response of greater thanks as He gave us His Son who died an agonising death on the cross to give us life and life eternal. Yes, God, I wanna be your man. |
