Musings

A glass sphere, reflecting a woodland path, balancing on the top of a wooden post. So many inputs as we try to make sense of all that is happening! A little like our lives in these days we pass through.

The God of love waits for us to make a response, but quite often we are distracted, by the reflection rather than the reality. Perhaps we need to stop and listen to the still small voice of calm, which emanates from the heart of our creator God.

The reflection is sometimes all that we want, but the deeper reality is what we walk away from, due to distraction and our own hearts and minds. God is patient…..

‘The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God lasts forever’. Isaiah 40, verse 8.

Nothing lasts forever, so the saying of the prophet goes! Not particularly earth shattering, but never the less, food for thought! It all comes down to response.

Accepting that God speaks to us in many ways and in many guises. The unexpected moment….the word which is audible or visible, the words that is woven into the fabric of creation and time.

The flowers speak eloquently of the created word, spoken to all living things, all encompassing.

Blessings and peace be with you on your journey.

A twisted tree branch, or perhaps the remains of a root. No matter which, it gets us thinking about the story of this one piece of wood, now disconnected from its original purpose.

The weaving of the elements in the photograph will prompt each of us to make our own story and try to make sense of what we see.

It speaks of our lives and our stories and our hopes and our fears and in the midst of it all, our faith, which is unique to each of us. It also speaks of chaos and randomness, which is part of the mix. At the heart of it all, the Creator of all holds it in the self giving love that never ends.

Nothing is lost in the skill of the weaver. Love is eternal.

Not the dimming or the ending, but the beginning. Light breaking into darkness and the promise of a new day. Coquet Island, which I see through my study window; blessed indeed,

‘Never take anything for granted’,I hear myself say, but I often fail. It is at this point that the still small voice of God whispers within my being. The imperceptible encouragement of the Holy Spirit, who never leaves us. Even in those moments of uncertainty.

Faith, hope and love….and the greatest of these is love. From the pen of the Apostle Paul. Let the light shine in your moments and days!

It says it all! An ivy clad wall on one side, with a sign guiding us to paradise. On the other side a sign barring access to motor vehicles. You might have access if you live there, but not if you are a visitor.

I like the road sign for paradise. Jesus promised that we would be with him in paradise…for ever. Trust needed when the going gets tough1…even in the confusion.

I am the way……paradise guaranteed, the truth, and the life

‘Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Jesus’ words to a large crowd in the early part of his ministry, recorded in the Gospel of St John.

Living water is the sign of God’s spirit woven together with the Father and the Son….the self giving at the heart of everything. You and I are invited to be part of this movement, to be recipients of the reality of God’s love, in each of our lives.

Water refreshes, cleanses, keeps us alive.

The Holy Spirit waits to be invited and be poured out into our own lives and as a result for you and I to be completely refreshed.

Ask, don’t wait!

Blocked up window; well used door; a table for two…. the list could travel on for ever. Taken in a French village; simply showing some elements that captivated Helen and I.

The weaving together ‘of things’., which points us beyond the obvious to what lies ahead; just around the corner, in an ‘ordinary’ moment.

The door speaks of possibility and change and new dimensions. For me God is not a full stop, but an open book revealed to each of us in an utterly unique way. I want to sit on one of the chairs and invite Jesus to come and sit and talk and listen.

I would be lost for words, but will be filled with the love of God.

Enjoy!

The enormity of the whole thing. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, dead on a cross. The end of the beginning. Seeing , but not easy to believe….the empty tomb. Where has he gone?

‘He is not here…says the angel….He is risen!’ Searching in the most unlikely of places. Not the tomb, but in the walking and talking of the day. The surprising moment of encounter, in the ordinary day which became an extraordinary time.

Never forgotten. Held deep in our hearts and moments and days.

He is not just here, He is there, and everywhere. Alive and offering an encounter beyond our understanding, but in our daily reality.

…..has no-one than this, that they lay down their lives for us…

Jesus on the cross, innocent, stitched up….the love of God in human form. NO running away, or giving up at the enormity of the cost. God does not leave, but becomes the heartbeat of humanity as we seek forgiveness and new life and new possibilities.

Love that knows no bounds, because God is love….

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. (Psalm 135;1-2) The words of the Psalmist

Our rising and the rising of the Sun; nothing hidden from the God of Love, the creator and sustainer of all things.

I’ve been away from the blog for a little while, for various reasons. Thank you for your prayers and support; may the risen Lord bless you.

The darkness can sometimes blot out the light and the way forward. Jesus reminds that he is the light of the world. Not I, not you.

God knows me completely and Jesus reveals the depth of his love to all of us. Dare we believe…..dare I trust? I would be a fool not to. What about you?