Musings

Sometimes, life feels like ‘hanging on’, just like the branches in the photograph. The sense of being moved and shaken by internal and external forces or influences

I mentioned last week that my Mum was hanging on to life. Amazingly she is still with us! Still not ‘out of the woods’, but carrying on. In the middle of all the emotion and hope and fear, the voice of calm has helped us see things differently.

God’s profound love for everyone, poured out into our uncertainty and hopes and fears.

Please be assured of my thoughts and prayers in your ‘hanging on’ moments!!!!

Peace be with you……

As I write this, we await a new set of storms bowling in from the west. Living a stone’s throw from the North Sea we await the next arrival….with some trepidation! It makes me think about that sense of ‘living on the edge’, However that happens in your life.

There is the profound sense of trust that does beyond our limited horizons. Placing one’s trust in the Creator of all; a leap and act of faith! The oft quoted storm on the Sea of Galilee, when Jesus was out on Lake Galilee, in a boat, with his disciples. A massive storm blew up and they all feared for their lives. To compound it all Jesus had fallen asleep, and in fear and terror they woke him up…accusing him of not caring!

Quick as a flash Jesus transformed the moment, He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm, Job done, and the disciples open mouthed! Jesus added these words;He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

A question for each of us!

….that thou my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love; can it be true? The words of Charles Wesley. Reaching into our hearts and souls. The enormity of the depth of God’s love which is utterly boundless,

I am truly lost for words. My Mum is in the latter stages of her life but I have that assurance that the love of God is endless and constantly giving, for all of us. We just have to look and trust; not easy I agree, amidst difficult moments is life.

God be with you.

The LORD is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27, verse 1

Enough said by the Psalmist, but very difficult to integrate into our everyday lives! We have those moments of trembling in our everyday lives, and it can be disorientating and disturbing. Particularly in these days we live in and through. The ruined castle offers little protection now, but stands as a reminder of how we each have to trust God.

We carry on trembling; it’s part of dealing with what happens in our lives. But the important thing is not to fill our hearts and minds with fear! God waits patiently even in the ruins that might be part of our mental space, and surprises us as we poke our heads out from our hiding places!!

Why am I afraid sometimes? Because I’m lost in fear and trembling, as the Psalmist writes. Trusting in the one who protects us from danger, not my own fear and trembling is the ‘way forward’.

Dare you make that step, or will you forever hide away?

Listen, see. reflect…touch the stone wall and altar; stand on the clay tiles, let the light reach into your heart and soul. God is present in every moment. We have to relearn this truth every day and every moment,

Never beyond the love of God, guided by the spirit within. Let your troubles be given and forgiven without fear.

Peace be with you, Stop and accept.

We are dealing with family issue at the moment and the daily blog will be intermittent.

Thank you for all your support and prayers

Barrie and Helen

Being human places us in the fragility which is part and parcel of our life. As you read this, fragility may be with you constantly, be it mental or physical.

The photograph speaks of a constant movement of sea and air and land. The pebbles carefully placed on top of each other will soon be moved and changed. Fragility and creativity.

Behind all this…. the grace of God.

The flood tide caught on camera. Running between the waves and dodging the big ones! Miscalculating and getting wet feet…

It all resonates in my heart as I reflect on what I believe about creation and life and death and faith, hope and glory!!! Not always having easy questions or answers, and not always needing them!

Just existing in the moment is enough; being alive and interacting with the wonderful world we are part of. Simple moments of exhilaration and reflection that reach the soul and makes my heart sing.

As the song says, ‘Be bold, be strong, for the Lord your God is with you……Now, in this moment, as you read this, in the

Not quite Hadrian’s Wall, just the sea wall at the bottom of our garden. It was a particularly stormy day and we could feel the visceral breaking of the waves.

Our lives can be full of our own walls which we have built during our lives. Jesus was a barrier braker. ‘I am the way, the truth and the life’, is how he once described himself. An invitation, in the midst of the storms of life, to take a different route, trust in a different way, look beyond the barriers that hem us in.

The route you take and have taken, is yours alone. Just like the constant moving and changing of the sea, from calm to storm to calm, and everything in between!

Jesus invites us, in the midst of the storm, to follow his steps, sometimes not in the easiest of places. As you journey during this week take a stop to look and see and sense and give thanks.

The way of Jesus brings us life to our souls.

Not the best photograph I’ve taken, but it expresses something about journeying and barriers and the light and darkness that weaves its way through our lives.

Sometimes the road is straight and unhindered, other times it becomes blocked and we are unable to navigate our way forward.

The gate in this photograph clearly blocks the way, but the light encourages us to move towards what blocks us. To perhaps see if there is a way round, over, or a possibility of opening the gate!

Jesus calls us each moment to look beyond, to trust in him, to sense the movement of the Holy Spirit in our journey.

Blessings and peace,

Barrie