4th September 2026
Resilience* – readiness to cope with small emergencies – might also include a small collection of tool kit such as and screw drivers and hammers, a craft knife, screws and nails, string, gaffer tape and glue. Equally useful would be a sewing kit, and in both instances some knowledge about to use either kit.
This would allow you to carry out small repairs in a temporary basis.
How would – how will – we cope with an emergency?
The increasing scale of the climate and biodiversity – and the crisis in social injustice – means we may well be faced with any number of different and probably overlapping emergencies.
This series will help explore how we as individuals and as communities can cope with emergency situations – ie how we can become more resilient.
NB Storms are not limited to the winter months, and in summer months trees in full leave may catch more wind and be at a greater risk of falling. Hot, dry spells can put trees under stress equally increasing the likelihood that they may fall or loose branches. Whilst many parts of the UK now receive less rain than previously, it can more often come in a very intense rainfall where a significant amount of rain falls within a short time frame, and so trigger flooding.
All these are situations when our normal patterns of daily life may be disrupted such that we need to make adaptations. The better we are prepared, the more resilient we will be.
Some of these scenarios may affect just our own household or may affect our community to a greater or lesser extent, or may affected our whole country. As individuals if we can be more resilient we will reduce the pressure on the wider community, and rather be better able to help others in our community. If we as a community can be more resilient, then we will reduce the pressure on the nation, and if as a nation we can be more resilient, then we can be better able to help others in our nations.
Resilience can be developed at the level of the individual/ household, the community, the region and the nation.
Weather emergencies are to a degree predictable and we can sign up for alerts or simply keep an eye on the news.
Other emergencies such as transport incidents, power cuts, cyber attacks, etc are not readily predictable.
30th August 2026
Reflection with readings below.
The overarching theme of today’s readings is that life is not free suffering – even for those who give their allegiance to God. Creation is still a work in progress?
I am reading Eat the Planet Well by Dave Goulson, a scientist who has specialised in bumblebees. He writes about adapting gardens and farmland to restore the lost habitats as a way of boosting the much depleted bumblebee population. He then writes about research he carried out on the effects of neonicotinoids on bees. His findings were clear and stark as to their highly detrimental affect.
But what surprised him more was the reaction of the pesticide industry, which threw vast sums of money at belittling his research – asserting it wasn’t truthful – lobbying politicians about the necessity of pesticides and the need to avoid legislation, bamboozling farmers about the multiple benefits of pesticides. Goulson records that the industry using the same game plan as the tobacco industry did in the 50s and 60s, as the fossil fuel industry has since at least the 1970s, and which both the meat and the plastics industries are also pursuing, falsely validating their product to ensure continued and increasing sales.
These are all industries that generate large profits for their shareholders, which use their size and financial clout to press governments across the world to protect their industries; which exploit the media to promote their product as good for society – Shell claims that they are key operators in ensuring energy security across the globe; which also use the media and think tanks to disabuse other viewpoints; and which have no regard for the damage their industries are causing. And indeed they are never asked to pay for the damage they cause.
Against these, campaigners and activists can feel overwhelmed. Will signing a petition, writing to my MP, joining a march, voting at AGMs, make any impact against mega sized corporations? Yet against the odds, they do continue to campaign.
Some campaigners conversely opt to undertake increasingly extreme actions to try and both raise public awareness and press governments to take action for the common good. Just Stop Oil took many nonviolent actions, such as closing down motorways, which did raise public awareness about the oil versus climate change issue but which also resulted in activists being imprisoned.
Such activists could echo the plaintive cry of Jeremiah. Why, he asks, does he suffer abuse and suffering from those who oppose God’s word? Why does he end up missing the parties and the good times because he is overwhelmed by the dire warnings of God’s? Is he in fact suffering pointlessly as he tries to adhere to God’s will?
God urges him to stay strong and to remain true to his calling, speaking truthfully God’s word and withstanding the forces of those who oppose God’s will. God will be with Jeremiah, God will provide him with resilience, and ensure his deliverance
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells his disciples not to turn away from the challenges and potential suffering that can result from following him. It is only by facing these challenges that they will experience life in all its richness. Whilst Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds us how we should live – loving and honouring others, being hospitable and generous – and how we should not fall into the trap of behaving like those who oppose God’s word. We should not revile or hate our opponents, nor repay evil with evil.
This is message for activists too. Our actions must bear the hallmark of what we stand for: they must reflect our beliefs. Equally we should not get sucked into responding to those who oppose us with words and actions that mirror theirs. We should continue to respect and be polite and honest in our actions and protests. Indeed we should bear in mind Paul’s words that we should go beyond the tit for tat, and actually minister positively towards those who oppose us when they are in need.
I also think part of the work of the activist, as it was for the prophet Jeremiah, is to bear witness to what is happening in the world around us, highlighting both what is going wrong and what is going aright. The horrendous tragedy unfolding in Nepal and Tibet is, in large part, the consequence of years of ignoring the damage caused by burning fossil fuels. We will not serve well current and future generations if we do not urgently address this issue – and here the ‘we’ has to be us as individuals, us as governments and us as businesses. Action will involve changing the way we live, consuming less, radically redistributing wealth. And so yes it will require us, if not to suffer, then at least to forgo what we see as pleasures and comforts – flying less, eating less meat and dairy, buying fewer electrical and fashion items, switching from gas boilers to electrical heating etc. But we may find life simpler and more enjoyable, and we will be doing all we can to avert further catastrophes that impact the lives of so many.
Jeremiah 15:15-21
O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and bring down retribution for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance do not take me away;
know that on your account I suffer insult.
Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart;
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
I did not sit in the company of merrymakers,
nor did I rejoice;
under the weight of your hand I sat alone,
for you had filled me with indignation.
Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Truly, you are to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail.
Therefore, thus says the Lord:
If you turn back, I will take you back,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall serve as my mouth.
It is they who will turn to you,
not you who will turn to them.
And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
says the Lord.
I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.
Psalm 26:1-8
1 Give judgment for me, O Lord,
for I have lived with integrity; *
I have trusted in the Lord and have not faltered.
2 Test me, O Lord, and try me; *
examine my heart and my mind.
3 For your love is before my eyes; *
I have walked faithfully with you.
4 I have not sat with the worthless, *
nor do I consort with the deceitful.
5 I have hated the company of evildoers; *
I will not sit down with the wicked.
6 I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, *
that I may go in procession round your altar,
7 Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving *
and recounting all your wonderful deeds.
8 Lord, I love the house in which you dwell *
and the place where your glory abides.
Romans 12:9-21
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Matthew 16:21-28
Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
“For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Local authorities will have emergency plans in place. To find out what your local authority has in place you can use this link although the information is aimed at local authority departments – https://www.gov.uk/local-planning-emergency-major-incident
However it may be more helpful to use a web search to see what is your local authority’s advice for households. Here, for example, is the link for Richmond Borough – https://www.richmond.gov.uk/services/environment/emergency_planning/public_resilience
Most local authorities will suggest that each household prepares an emergency plan.
What would an emergency plan include?
i) What are the specific risks and difficulties that you might face?
ii) What is the best escape route from your home?
iii) Do you know where to turn off the water/ electricity/ gas supplies in your home?
iv) Who should you phone in an emergency?
v)If you get separated from other household members, where will you meet up?
vi) Are there two different places where you know you could be offered temporary accommodation? (And can you offer the same in reverse?)
viii) Do you have a first aid kit, emergency supplies, a Grab and Go bag?
ix) Are there neighbours you should look out for?
x) Is there a community hub that would be a place to seek refuge?
Here are a couple of other examples from different local areas.
https://hiowprepared.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/LRF-Household-Emergency-Plan.pdf
Emergency planning will likely need to cover three different scenarios.
The first scenario of staying put has given rise to the advice – given both here in the UK (low key) and across Europe (more loudly) – that households should maintain a stock of supplies that would meet their needs for 72 hours – three days. In some countries this recommendation has been increased to 7 days – consider that in the event of a flood or power outage it might take a week for services to be restored and shops restocked.
The second scenario of having to leave in a rush, has given rise to the advice of preparing a Grab and Go bag.
The third scenario of not being able to get home is less often considered, but would probably give rise to something similar to the preparation of a Grab and Go bag – but who would want to carry that around? For those who regularly use a car, keeping a Grab and Go bag there would be a more convenient option. Maybe this option should be the Have to Hand kit?
72 Hour stay-put supplies – what might this include?
Food – this needs to be food with a long shelf life – dried and tinned as opposed to frozen (freezers don’t work during power cuts). If there were a power cut, it would also be sensible to ensure that much of the food is such that can be eaten with little or no cooking. Most tinned food can be eaten cold although some options may be more palatable than others. Oats can be eaten raw or after soaking. Dried fruit would be excellent as would biscuits, crackers and oat cakes, plus jam, yeast extract, nut butters etc. Of you have a camping stove you would be able to make hot drinks and cook simple foods such as pasta, millet and quinoa. But do have regard to all necessary precautions when using a camping stove.
UHT milk and fruit juice, and tetrapacs of tofu and cream would be another addition. Pickles and saurkraut have a long shelf life, and you could also store bottled fruits and vegetables – maybe jars of olives? Dried food is another option – provided you have enough water. And a couple of bars of chocolate may be very welcome in an emergency!
To buy everything you need in one go might be too expensive but you could build up your stores over time. When you finish something you regularly use, replace it with two then you will have one to use and a spare in hand. To ensure everything is in date, do use and replace what you have in your store cupboard on a regular basis.
Hopefully even if you have to rely on your 72 hour supplies, there won’t be a power cut, and it would be sensible then to keep in your stores things you regularly use and enjoy. You might make sure you always have enough onions, root vegetables, apples and bananas to hand, packets of tea and coffee etc. If you do a big shop every week try and make sure that even on the day before you do that shop, you still have enough food to last 72 hours. Think of this as keeping a well maintained pantry!
If you have pets, include in your stores enough food for them too.
Water – a minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended by the World Health Organisation. You may also want to store extra water for washing etc – say 10 litres per person. You may have a cold water tank in your house that feeds the bathroom and toilets – if you don’t use the shower/ bath and only use waste water to flush the toilet (eg washing up water) you may well have enough water there for hand and dish washing to last three days. But for drinking water you would need to store bottled water (make sure you keep checking it is in date). Rather than buying bottled water, might refill clean demijohns with sufficient water for three days, and rotate and refill these on a daily basis.
Another item you might add to your supplies would water sterilising tablets in case there is a risk that your tap water is temporarily tainted.
Medication – make you sure you always have at least three more day’s worth of any medication you take regularly. At the same time make sure you keep an up to date first aid kit, plus supplies of whatever painkillers, antihistamines, indigestion tablets, sore throat medications etc that you would normally use. As well as keeping an up to date first aid kit, add in a first aid manual and if you can, undertake some first aid training.
Torches and radio – in the event of a power cut, having fully charged torches and a radio will be useful and either spare batteries or opt for a windup torch/ radio. A fully charged power bank for recharging mobile phones would also be useful. You might consider a solar powered power bank.
Clothes etc – you might want to stock up on extra layers so that in case of a power cut and/ or cold snap, you can keep warm – fleeces, woollen hats, extra thick socks, blankets and sleeping bags, thermal underwear etc. Equally you may already have enough in your cupboards. Assuming you not coping with a power cut, but cold weather, hot water bottles are good for warming beds and making people feel cosy.
Wellington boots would be good and maybe a snow shovel.
In the summer, wet towels to hang over the windows can help cool your home – as can closing both curtains and windows in the morning before it gets hot and opening them in the evening to allow in cool air. Maybe some traditional paper fans would also be useful.
Hygiene – make sure you have a sufficiency of toilet paper, hygiene products, toothpaste etc to last three days – which perhaps really means don’t leave replenishing your normal stocks until the last minute. A bucket would be useful for collecting waste water from any washing of hands or plates, or for rainwater which can be used to flush toilets if the is an outage/ shortage of water. Another addition for your stores, would be hand wipes and sanitiser – again do check their dates and use and replace them as necessary.
Entertainment – maintaining mental as well as physical health is important. Being stressed is wearing and doesn’t always help us to make good decisions. If we are housebound for three days we may also get bored. Books, playing cards, jigsaws are all self sufficient when it comes to electricity. Telling stories, playing words games, charades etc are also good options. And maybe pencils and paper for more games, doodles etc.
Grab and Go bag – what might that contain? The following suggestions come from West Berkshire Council. (See above)
Ideally they should fit into an easy to carry rucksack and be kept where they can easily be picked up.
Other essential items (this will vary according to your needs and the weather):
Other items to consider:
The Red Cross also suggests a whistle and pencil and paper. Another useful item might be a high viz vest.
If you have a pet, prepare a grab and go pack for them too, including for example
Some of these items I would keep permanently in handy bag – and check and replace items on a regular basis – but I’m not sure I would be able to justify keeping a separate set of waterproofs, clothes, phone charger etc there too. Maybe I could store my phone charger in my ‘Have to Hand kit’ (see below). Maybe I could waterproofs, spare blankets, sleeping bags etc alongside my Grab and Go bag.
Have to Hand kit – this sounds like it would be a subset of the Grab and Go bag, and might therefore contain some of the following.
29th August 2026
Note: It seems as if Autumn is coming early this year. The extreme temperatures and lack of rain have desiccated many plants and are causing the early fall of leaves. There has also be a deeply sad sparsity of swallows and swifts. I first wrote these prayers 2 years ago when that seemed less acute. These prayers may therefore also represent something of the progress of climate change itself.
And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years – Genesis 1:14
A reading from Isaiah 55: 9-11
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Change Happens
A drop of water
falls.
Drip.
Another.
Drip.
Drip, drop – more fall.
The drip becomes a trickle;
Drip, drip, drop -.
the trickle a stream.
The stream becomes a river,
a down pour, a torrent –
surge, rush, roar.
A flood begins with just a drip.
Snow.
Sun on snow.
A little warmth,
a little melting.
A moment of easing,
loosening,
a shifting of weight.
gathering momentum –
And whoosh!
A million tonnes of speeding snow.
An avalanche begins with just one flake.
A swallow
perched on the telephone wire,
testers slightly.
Now or later?
One swallow, two.
Another, three. Sway.
Now or later?
Four, six;
Eight, ten. Now?
Gather, check, sense the air.
Now? Now!
Up, and away,
wings beat, compass set,
off –
fare well.
Where one or two are gathered,
change begins.
May God bless our endeavours.
Amen.
Other things worth thinking about to improve household resilience
There is a suggestion that a saunterer is a person walking to the Holy Land, coming from the French ‘à la sainte-terre’. So let’s consider sauntering to be a form of holy or blessed walking.
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,2,11
“Autumn … makes a double demand. It asks that we prepare for the future — that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks that we learn to let go — to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness.”
Bonaro Overstreet, “Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness,” in Jean Beaven Abernethy, Meditations for Women (1947)
Autumn
The leaves are falling, falling as if from far up,
as if orchards were dying high in space.
Each leaf falls as if it were motioning “no.”
And tonight the heavy earth is falling
away from all other stars in the loneliness.
We’re all falling. This hand here is falling.
And look at the other one. It’s in them all.
And yet there is Someone, whose hands
infinitely calm, holding up all this falling.
Rainer Maria Rilke (trans. Robert Bly)
God, open my mind and heart.
Lift the barriers,
unbind the strong grasp of my demands
when I want everything to go my way.
God, reach into my inner space.
Sweep out all my old clutter,
enlarge my capacity to receive.
God, empty me of whatever impedes
the growth of our relationship.
Help me to recognise and accept
your sources for my growth.
God, soften my resistance to emptying.
May I welcome each inner season
as a catalyst for my transformation.
Joyce Rupert
God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, you entrust us with the freedom to choose life.
For all this, we are truly grateful.
Amen.
23rd August 2026
Reflection with readings below
“What is the foundation of our faith, what underpins it, from what substrate does it grow, what is its backstory?” Such questions would seem to be what Isaiah is both asking and answering. What emerges is overwhelmingly positive.
God’s meta narrative (ie overarching story) is of restoration and redemption. What has become barren and desert-like will become as flourishing garden. The descendants of Abraham will receive instruction and justice, such that whatever the fragility of life, there will always be redemption and salvation. This is a story whose truth goes back to the beginning of time and continues to the end of time.
Our response, as the Psalmist reminds us, is to offer God due worship, sacrifice and praise. Whilst Paul’s words remind us that the sacrifice that God desires is to shape our lives, not according to the ways of the world – ways for example that are selfish, greedy and callous – but according to the ways – the wisdom – of God. ie. a mindset of which Jesus is the perfect exemplar.
We are then offered two different, or maybe overlapping, views of how the church might be shaped. Matthew’s Gospel, tells us that Jesus appoints Peter as the rock – the bedrock perhaps – on which the church will be founded. Peter is designated, or maybe ordained, to shape and lead the assembly of people that will become the Church. He will have the power to determine what will and what will not be lawful.
Paul on the other hand, has a vision of the church as being a collective that exists within the being – or presence – of Jesus, a collective in which each person has a role or a gift to contribute such that no one is less important nor more important than anyone else.
Of the two, I think the latter is both more demanding of each individual – and more rewarding. It is, perhaps, quite easy to understand and value our own skills, to see how important it is that we achieve our full potential – and receive our just praise and reward. It is less easy to understand and value the skills of a community that works together harmoniously. It is less easy to appreciate and accommodate in our lives, the skills and gifts that others have.
It would seem easier to have an understanding of ‘my personal vocation’, my personal role in following Jesus, in which my success will be doing what is right and my failure will be when others thwarted me. It is harder I think to have an understanding of the ‘community’s vocation’, of its role in following Jesus. For in that scenario I have to know my neighbours, I have to know and value their gifts. I have to work in harmony with them, ensuring that the joint efforts of our gifts is what flourishes. I have to accept what others have to give me, and be willing to share what I have with them. This is a community where teamwork is key, where trust and honesty are essential, where communication – both in hearing and in articulating – has to be clear, where the common good not personal gain is the objective. This is a community where forbearance and leadership must work together.
It is a community with a way of life that will be counter-cultural until such time as everyone embraces the reign of God. It is therefore a community that will have to think carefully as it seeks to find ways of living alongside – but not conforming to – the ways of the ‘world’. Holding onto the promise, the vision, of God’s meta narrative will be important.
We will, for example, need to be a community that welcomes the stranger, the alien, the outsider – doing so because that is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ stigmatises such people.
We will, for example, need to be a community that respects and cares for the natural world because doing so is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ sees nature as either a nice to have extra or as a mere resource to be exploited to maximise profits.
We will, for example, need to be a community that shares its resources so that there is neither rich nor poor, because doing so is part of God’s story even when the ‘world’ says we must hang onto our wealth to ensure that nobody else gets the better of us.
Paul does not ignore the role of leadership. Leadership is one of the gifts that is a constituent part of the church body – but it is a gift that is exercised in partnership with all the other gifts that make up the living body of the church – the living body of Jesus Christ. Such leadership is equally to be recognisable because it is counter cultural, because it is not conformed to the ‘world’s’ way of doing things but is shaped by the wisdom of God.
Isaiah 51:1-6
Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
but I blessed him and made him many.
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the voice of song.
Listen to me, my people,
and give heed to me, my nation;
for a teaching will go out from me,
and my justice for a light to the peoples.
I will bring near my deliverance swiftly,
my salvation has gone out
and my arms will rule the peoples;
the coastlands wait for me,
and for my arm they hope.
Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
for the heavens will vanish like smoke,
the earth will wear out like a garment,
and those who live on it will die like gnats;
but my salvation will be for ever,
and my deliverance will never be ended.
Psalm 138
1 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart; *
before the gods I will sing your praise.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple
and praise your Name, *
because of your love and faithfulness;
3 For you have glorified your Name *
and your word above all things.
4 When I called, you answered me; *
you increased my strength within me.
5 All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord, *
when they have heard the words of your mouth.
6 They will sing of the ways of the Lord, *
that great is the glory of the Lord.
7 Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly; *
he perceives the haughty from afar.
8 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe; *
you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies;
your right hand shall save me.
9 The Lord will make good his purpose for me; *
O Lord, your love endures for ever;
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Romans 12:1-8
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God– what is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Matthew 16:13-20
When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
The Green Tau 