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A reflection and prayer to start the day with George Craig, a Methodist local preacher in Cardiff.

Good morning. Anyone who has dealings with teenagers 鈥� or remembers being one 鈥� will know that having the right haircut is a major concern.

It certainly was for me and, having found a barber who appeared to share my views on the matter when I was 14, I continued to get my hair done there until I eventually moved too far away for it to be practicable.

The actual owner of the shop, Alec, was an interesting character 鈥� he rarely cut any hair himself. Instead, He sat at the desk by the door and dreamed up money making schemes.

And it was as a result of one of these that I walked in to the shop one Saturday morning to find all the barbers 鈥� except Alec himself 鈥� with luxuriant mops of hair. Which was odd since at least two of them had been bald the last time I saw them.

Alec had got his hands on a job lot of wigs. And he thought that the best way to sell them was to let the public see how great they were. His sheepish looking staff might have had a rather different view, but the principle still seems to me to be a sound one.

And I think there鈥檚 a lesson here for all of us. In the context of the church I鈥檓 often reminded of what the German Philosopher Nietzsche said: 鈥淚 will believe in the Redeemer when the Christians look a little more redeemed鈥�.

More generally any community will tend to be seen in the light of what it actually does rather than just what it says. So much of the public discourse these days is about disapproval.

The early church drew people to it because it was a joyful and accepting community. People saw that and wanted it for themselves.

Maybe it鈥檚 time that all of us had a hard look at how our behaviour actually reflects the values we claim.

Lord, we are so blessed to have you in our lives. Help us to show and share our joy with others that they may see it and want it for themselves. Amen

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