Little things can make a big difference. A freshly made cup of coffee has refreshed me just now, ready to write this bloggage. A kiss goodbye with Sally (Mrs Nukelearfishing) before she went out shopping was a reminder of our love. Words of gratitude and encouragement can bless someone after they have worked hard. A hug from a friend can speak louder than words… You know the sort of thing.

I have been thinking recently about 1 degree shifts. This was inspired by the wonderful people at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. They point out that if you are facing in a particular direction and rotate 1 degree and then walk in that direction the change that you have made is small but the difference after a while becomes significant the further you travel. LICC apply that concept to change in a church, particularly looking at how you change the culture of a church.

But I think it also applies to our lives as individuals in a church, bearing in mind that churches are communities of individual believers. God’s Spirit is constantly at work in us: nudging, prompting, suggesting, encouraging, inspiring, and so on… And even if we only respond to him by making one degree shifts then over time he will have brought about significant change. And if we respond to more and more one degree shifts, then the change will be more significant.

I am in the process of preparing for Sunday morning’s service at our church and this is something of a sneak preview – a bit like the way that politicians trail what they are going to say in a speech so that it is reported that they will say ‘such and such’ later in the day; they say ‘such and such’; and then the fact that they said ‘such and such’ is reported afterwards. The impact of their speech could be tripled by this repetition!

So perhaps if you are coming to our church on Sunday you could prepare yourself for it by asking God’s Spirit what one degree shifts he might be asking you to make. Or ask him to make you ready to make a one degree shift. Or ask him to show you the one degree shifts you have already made and be encouraged…

Be blessed, be a blessing.