It may be a tiny creature, but it certainly makes its presence felt.  Scientists in Berlin have discovered that the fish ‘Danionella cerebrum’ which is only 12mm long drums out a powerful rhythm on an organ called a swim bladder in such an amazing way that it makes a sound as loud as a gunshot,

This is yet another reminder that small things can have an impact way beyond their size and prompts me to think that it is worth reflecting on St David’s most famous saying that his followers should concentrate on “doing the little things in God's presence with conscientiousness and devotion”.

David is remembered for all sorts of things of course. He’s certainly linked to the miraculous. Take the most famous story for example. It’s said that on one occasion the ground rose up to allow the huge crowd to hear him more clearly when he was speaking! Now that would be powerful preaching by anyone’s standard but it’s obviously the stuff of legend. Still, it is a useful reminder that God is still in the miracle business. I’ve certainly witnessed enough to assure you that He can do more than we could ever ask or even imagine.

David played his part in an amazing movement of God known as Celtic Christianity, and Welsh churches would do well to spend some time reflecting on what we can learn from that phenomenon given the current condition of Christianity in Wales.

Dewi Sant was just one of those early ‘saints’ who had an amazing impact on the pagan tribes of Western Britain following the collapse of the Roman Empire and the most inspirational feature of those early Celtic communities was their focus on those who didn’t belong to them. Rather than erecting barriers, they did everything they could to engage with non-believers to make them feel welcome.

They invited people to experience something of their communal life because they were convinced that this would get them asking questions and give them a thirst for what they had to offer. Put simply they believed that a sense of ‘belonging’ would ultimately result in people ‘believing’.

Given the number of people who “Don’t do God” today, the church would do well to adopt this kind of approach. It allows people to discover faith at their own pace rather than feeling pressured to make a decision at a one-off special event. I might be biased but I would be, given that this is how I came to faith!

Returning to David’s challenge that we should concentrate on the ‘small things’, we never know the impact they might have. Take Rosa Park for example. She helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States after refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a bus in Alabama and became a nationally recognised symbol in the battle to end racial segregation.

Few, if any of us, could imagine we could ever have such an impact on history as Rosa Park but let me remind you that studies have shown that one simple act of kindness could impact 125 people. It's a bit like the ripple effect of a pebble in water. We don’t need to ‘blow our own trumpets’; we just need to remember that we needn’t be ashamed of doing small things, we simply need to be ashamed of doing nothing.