The Efficiency Express

Faster and faster we hurtled along. The landscape blurs from the window. Faster and faster we travel. The beauty of where we were lost quickly to the past. Faster and faster the efficiency train ran head first along the track that had been laid down. Faster and faster we rocked in our carriages coupled together; resistance was futile. Where were we going? How long would it take?

Brakes slamming we ground to a hault. Wondering what was wrong we looked at our watches. Anxiety clamoured for attention as schedules were lost. Phone calls and texts and emails rang out. Sat on the tracks our journey before us wondering why you and I should be waiting this way? A voice from heaven declared an emergency. Hearts skipped a beat as we waited to hear. What happened? Who was it? What casualties were taken? Anxiety and panic an alarm call of pain and distress. First Aid is needed an ambulance called. We sat and waited some answered the call.

No longer faster and faster but ground to a stop we sat and we pondered and reflected some more. How long must we wait? How long will it take? How long will it take on this journey of faith? Anxiety subdues and peace starts to reign. No point in worrying about the schedule delayed. Acceptance and reassurance enter the carriage, sanity breaks. We see for the first time the beauty outside.

The train begins to shudder and we start moving once more. Tracks laid down a lifetime ago dictate the direction. Faster and faster the train flows once more. But who laid the tracks? Do they still show the way? Do we journey together or each our own way? Does the voice in the sky make any sense? Do we ignore the tanoy instead? So many questions to ask on the way. The conductor just smiles and says, 'Have a nice day.'

Lent 2014 - 27th March: phone chats

Phone chats are one of life's simple pleasures. I often phone a friend who lives in France just for a natter. It amazes me how easy it is to stay in touch with people and yet we don't. Is there someone you need to ring? They say, 'a problem shared is a problem halved.' Maybe there is something that is worrying you that is better shared with a trusted friend? Maybe a phone call isn't a simple pleasure for you but, maybe, it would make someone else's day? Spread a little happiness and pick up the phone.

Lent 2014 - 26th March: writing

I find a simple pleasure in writing. Anyone who knows me well will know that spelling is not my strong point, even when I know how to spell a word I will make a simple error. It is often in haste to get words on a page. I love to write. If I'm writing an essay I normally write too many words and have to edit large amounts. I can't seem to help myself when words start to flow. I have a few ideas in my head at the moment of things to write but alas I am struggling to concentrate fully on the task. Blogging through Lent is a way of disciplining myself to write a little every day. Hopefully it will encourage me to write more. 

Lent 2014 - 25th March: Spending time with Dad

 

March 25th is my Dad's birthday, he is 79 today. This is a photo of me and Dad, I must have been about 10 I think. Birthdays can be simple pleasures to enjoy and to look back on the past year. Birthdays come and go every year but dads are far more special. So today's simple pleasure is spending time with Dad. They don't last forever and I am conscious as I write this yours may have passed away. I hope you have fond memories. 

God is refered to as our Heavenly Father. The Lord's Prayer begins, 'Our Father who art in heaven'. Sometimes relationships with our human fathers are not ideal. Sometimes earthly fathers can be abusive, or unloving. I hope that is not your experience but if it is know that God is not like that. Our Heavenly Father's love is pure, full of grace and there no matter what. Today's simple pleasure is spending time with Dad, have you spent time with your Heavenly Father today?

Lent 2014 - 24th March: Prayer

Today's simple pleasure is prayer. Some people get hung up on what words to use to pray, many dislike praying out loud. Prayer is simply talking to God. He doesn't expect us to use fancy long words only to be honest with how we are feeling. I have times when I stop and pray, such as before I go to sleep at night, but most of my prayer is on the go. Something comes into my mind and I have a conversation with God about it. If I'm annoyed, or angry, or sad, or happy I pray, wherever I am. Prayer is one of the simple pleasures of my faith.

Is there something you need to pray about? 

Lent 2014 - 23rd March: God's Word

For me there is a simple pleasure in reading God's Word. On days that I spend away from it I feel out of sorts. I try to read a small portion of the Bible every day but I am human and sometimes I fail in this. It is probably my Evangelical roots that mean I feel guilty if this happens, or maybe it's my conscience? I like days that are not hurried and where I can read as much as I want to, but spending time in God's Word isn't about how much I read but about how much I listen to God as I engage with him. There are lots of different versions, or should I say translations and paraphrases, of the Bible. The Old and New Testament were written in Hebrew and Greek respectively. Our English translations try and capture the original meanings but sometimes our English language doesn't help for instance we have only one word for 'love' but in the Greek there are five words: 'agape', 'eros', 'philia' and 'storge'. I will leave you to google their exact meanings! The Bible is not just a book it is the main way in which God communicates with us today. It is the vehicle in which he uses to speak, hence the term Word of God. 

This week I picked up a copy of The Message, a brilliant paraphrase, I found that the following Psalm spoke to me (see photo). Perhaps it will speak to you to? Today's simple pleasure to give thanks for is 'The Word of God'.