Greetings: I hope you are enjoying the weather! I like that story about the fellow who went to the pet store in search of a singing parakeet. Seems he was a bachelor, and his house was too quiet. The store owner had just the bird for him, so the man bought it. The next day the bachelor came home from work to a house full of music.

He went to the cage to feed the bird and noticed for the first time that the parakeet had only one leg. He felt cheated that he’d been sold a one-legged bird, so he called and complained. "What do you want," the store owner responded, "a bird who can sing or a bird who can dance?"...

Be honest. Are we glad that God says no to what we want and yes to what we need? Not always.

If we ask for a new marriage, and he says honour the one you’ve got, we aren’t happy.

If we ask for healing, and he says learn through the pain, we aren’t pleased.

If we ask for more money, and he says treasure the unseen, we aren’t always content.

When God doesn’t do what we want, it’s not easy. Never has been. Never will be. But faith is the conviction that God knows more than we do about this life, and he will get us through it.

"J Corrie ten Boom used to say, "When the train goes through a tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through."

We need to hear that God is still in control. We need to hear that it’s not over until he says so. We need to hear that life’s mishaps and tragedies are not a reason to bail out.They are simply a reason to sit tight.

Next time you’re disappointed, don’t panic.

Don’t jump out. Don’t give up.

Just be patient and let God remind you he’s still in control.

It isn’t over till it’s over.

Have a great month.

(PS - a dead parrot is a poly-gone!)

Pastor Martyn

01984 623991.

www.wiveyevangelical.org