Just a brief note tonight, I seem to have been typing for hours already.
Life seems to be blighted with what we so often call RED TAPE. Massive of documents and reports for just about everything, much of course is vital in the world we live in today.
One of these time consuming forms I have been working on this week related to the Child Protection measures, which have to be in place for any church children’s or youth group to function. One issue involves identity, being certain that people are actually who they claim to be.
It doesn’t matter how well we know people, it is a criminal offence if we do not see the actual documents. A couple in the church, good friends, people we know well, produced their birth certificates. “Sorry”, I had to say, “Not good enough, these are copies.” (Provided by the registry office but still copies.) The only acceptable birth certificates in this case are originals issued not more than 12 months after the birth.
RED TAPE might frustrate us and even cause us problems but when it comes to the Christian’s identity in Jesus, just take a look at what the Apostle Peter wrote.
1 Peter 2:10 (New Living Translation) ”Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
I like that, no RED TAPE, no forms to fill in, just real acceptance by God through faith in Jesus Christ!
This entry was posted
on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 11:37 pm and is filed under The Pastor's Comments.
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Red Tape
Just a brief note tonight, I seem to have been typing for hours already.
Life seems to be blighted with what we so often call RED TAPE. Massive of documents and reports for just about everything, much of course is vital in the world we live in today.
One of these time consuming forms I have been working on this week related to the Child Protection measures, which have to be in place for any church children’s or youth group to function. One issue involves identity, being certain that people are actually who they claim to be.
It doesn’t matter how well we know people, it is a criminal offence if we do not see the actual documents. A couple in the church, good friends, people we know well, produced their birth certificates. “Sorry”, I had to say, “Not good enough, these are copies.” (Provided by the registry office but still copies.) The only acceptable birth certificates in this case are originals issued not more than 12 months after the birth.
RED TAPE might frustrate us and even cause us problems but when it comes to the Christian’s identity in Jesus, just take a look at what the Apostle Peter wrote.
1 Peter 2:10 (New Living Translation) ”Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”
I like that, no RED TAPE, no forms to fill in, just real acceptance by God through faith in Jesus Christ!
This entry was posted on Saturday, May 17th, 2008 at 11:37 pm and is filed under The Pastor's Comments. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.