Readings to illustrate Sue’s talk : Philippians 4 v 2-5; Luke 10 v 38-42

Sue started her talk with amusing letters from children to God about their love-hate relationships with siblings and friends, to illustrate that broken relationships start at an early age.

As an example, she compared the tragic story of William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’, when rivalry destroyed relationships between boys stranded on an uninhabited island, and a similar true situation on a Tongan island, where the boys worked together to create a loving, healthy society, based on their faith in God.

There are examples in the Bible when even Christians were at loggerheads – Paul and Barnabas disagreed over John Mark, and two Christian co-workers, Euodia and Syntyche, fell out.

Today, sadly, such disagreements and bad feelings can often occur between Christians and Sue gave two examples from her own life which needed to be resolved, forgiveness sought, and hugs given! Such broken relationships need to be faced and dealt with and Sue challenged us to put them right.

However, Sue went on to speak about another relationship which may also need to mended or sorted out, and that is our relationship with God! Has it become strained, a bit dull, not as close as we’d like?! Friendships grow when we spend time together, talking and listening to each other, and the same is true with God.

Are we easily distracted when we spend time with Him? Have out times with Him become mechanical or routine?

We finished with prayer that we might fall in love with Him again!