The Parish Magazine June 2021

the parish noticeboard — 4
On reflection . . .
By Elizabeth Spiers
Job: God works for us but
not always as we expect
glorystory on freebibleimages.org
Job was, in God’s words, the most righteous man on Earth
in his day. Of course, according to the Bible, he didn’t hear
God say that. He was completely unaware of what was
about to happen to him.
Job had lived a very righteous life, was highly respected in
his community, extremely wealthy and genuinely faithful
to God. Without warning he became the victim of multiple
calamities which left him financially ruined, homeless,
bereaved of his 10 children and covered in painful, itchy
sores. Can you imagine the impact of that? Talk about unfair!
Unfair suffering is the hardest to bear. To suffer for doing
wrong we can understand, but Job suffered as few of us ever
will, and for no apparent reason. His so-called friends told
him, in so many words, 'you have obviously sinned; this is
what you deserve'. His wife, shattered by their losses, told
him to 'curse God and die'. And although Job begged God
to speak, God stayed silent. Yet in all this, Job did not sin.
Although he didn’t understand he didn’t blame God. In
Job 1:20-22 Job responds:
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
LONGING TO COMFORT US
In our modern world, we like to be able to understand
the ‘why’ of things. Job simply accepted and endured his
suffering. Yes, he vented his feelings about the unfairness
of it, but he also maintained his integrity. He didn’t lose his
faith and he kept true to himself by refusing to accept the
accusations of his friends.
There are many verses in the Bible that tell us how much
God wants to be our rock through hard times and that he
walks through the situation with us and longs to comfort us.
The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him
who have been called according to his purpose.
So in a difficult situation, remember that God is working
for your good. Although you may not understand, you can be
sure that he is with you always and, if you allow him, he will
work it out although perhaps not in the way you imagined.
From the desk
of the editor
editor@theparishmagazine.co.uk
Thinking about
apprenticeships
The Parish Magazine - June 2021 13
Today, as I write this, is 15 April and I am sitting at my
desk and working on the June issue. It is hard to believe
that we are already half way through the year but like
most people as they grow older the clock seems to tick
faster and faster. It won't be long before I will be sitting
down with Gordon Nutbrown, my colleague who manages
the 'business' side of the magazine, to review progress and
plan the budget for 2022!
Whenever we talk about the future of the magazine
the subject of our own roles comes up. In October this
year we will publish the 100th issue of the magazine
in its current format, and January 2022 marks the 10
year anniversary of it. This also means, of course, that
we are both 10 years older than when we took over the
responsibility, even though it only seems like yesterday!
In October, I will be 75 years old — Gordon, at 82 years,
is a little more senior then me — but I like to think that I
still have at least another 10 years of editing in me before
I consider retiring completely. One lesson that Covid has
taught us is that we never know what is lurking around
the corner. As my wife, Sue, often tells me, we should
never 'assume' anything because that makes an 'ass' out of
'u' and 'me'!
OLD HACKS NEW IDEAS
Both Gordon and I have spent our working lives in
and around the publishing world, mine in journalism
and editing, and Gordon's in the printing and business
side. This does not mean that we live in the past, we
simply believe that the past shows us that the well proven
fundamentals for successful publishing remain the same.
We are both keen to take advantage of the benefits of
new technology and we both see a good future for printed
magazines and newspapers alongside online media.
Covid has reinforced this belief because so many
people are now saying that while looking at a screen
during the pandemic has been a life saver, they have come
to appreciate just how good it is to relax in a comfortable
chair, or bed, to read a good old fashioned printed book or
magazine!
With these thoughts in mind, we are both anxious to
have successors join us to ensure that The Parish Magazine
can continue to grow and serve the Church and our local
communities way into the distant future. In short, we
are looking for a couple of 'apprentices' who are willing to
learn the basics of editing and publishing from a couple
of old hacks and are able to contribute some new ideas to
keep the printed magazine current in the years to come.
The only requirements are that you are Christian,
enthusiastic about using the printed word to serve the
Church and the community, and that you are younger
than us! Our contact details can be found on page 42.