As I write this we have been watching the progress of the London Marathon where more than 48,000 people took part this year. 
Some interesting facts!
*The marathon was originally 25 miles, but in 1908 Queen Alexandra asked for the route to be changed so her children could watch it, so it started from Windsor Castle and ended at the Olympic Stadium - 26.2 miles.
*Mary Keitany (2017) currently holds the record for the fastest woman at 2 hours 17 minutes and 1 second.
*This year Kelvin Kiptum takes the men’s record at 2 hours 1 minute and 27 seconds.
*Roger Bourban ran the London marathon in 1981, dressed as a waiter carrying an opened bottle of mineral water on a tray, (without spilling a drop) in less than 3 hours.
* In the 36 years since its launch, the London Marathon has raised £770 million for charity.
* As with lots of events, the organisers of the marathon would find it difficult without the help of an astonishing 6,000 volunteers.
We took more interest in the event this year as our son, William, ran for the first time, finishing in 3 hours 41 minutes and 21 seconds after seriously training for several months. He has raised over £2,000 for Bedford Hospital.
Very few of us will ever even attempt to run a marathon (running for a bus is enough for most of us) but we are all on a journey - the journey of life. When running a marathon the contestants are racing against each other, trying to be first or improve on their own personal best, but in the race of life, we aim to do our best in family life, work life and our social life, to live a life that shows kindness and compassion to our fellow ‘travellers’ along the way.
How often have you been the receiver of a random act of kindness? What a lovely feeling it brings! Have you ever surprised someone with an unexpected gift? A bunch of flowers, a phone call to a lonely person, a homemade cake to a neighbour?
PS. Having just finished writing this, our doorbell rang, and a neighbour very kindly brought me some beautiful flowers! An act of great kindness! Thank you so much. X
Jesus taught the golden rule…He said that we should treat others as we would want to be treated. That seems to make perfect sense. What a different world we would live in if everyone lived by that rule.
I would like to share these words:
We are pilgrims on a journey, we’re together on this road. We are here to help each other walk the mile and share the load.
I will hold the Christ-light for you in the night-time of your fear: I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
I will weep when you are weeping, when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you. I will share your joy and sorrow till we’ve seen this journey through.
Richard Gillard
So, as we run this race of life, let’s take note of what the Bible says about how to live a well-lived life:
‘Let us run the race with perseverance, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus and make every effort to live in peace with everyone.’
We continue to meet on the first Sunday of every month for Bitesize@10.
Come and share some informal time with us over a bacon roll, tea, coffee and juices. We chat and catch up on each other's good news, then have a short ‘Thought for the Day’ to see us through the week!
The door is open and all are welcome. Come and bring a friend.
The other Sundays in the month we meet at 2.30pm.
We are a friendly bunch of folk, we don’t stand on ceremony, so come and share this hour with us.
You will be made most welcome.
Sunday 25th June is a special day for us, it is the day when we celebrate 171 years of our church building in Bozeat. Our preacher that day will be Mrs Dorothy Williams. We will be serving afternoon tea after the service.
It will be lovely to welcome you.
Coffee Morning is held every Thursday from 10 am to 11.30.
Tea, coffee, biscuits and even toast ( if you haven’t managed breakfast) are served.
Jan and her team will be delighted to welcome you. Bring a friend and make new friends!