Life in a Roundabout way

Life can be a bit like a roundabout sometimes. It can spin so fast you want to get off but most of the time it’s a lot of fun. Ever feel you are going around in circles? Or perhaps stuck on the same loop? It’s easy to get into bad habits, less easy to break them. How easy has it been to put on weight during the lockdowns we have had? How easy was it too loose those extra pounds? If we want to do it properly we have to track those calories, and macros, and make sure we exercise regularly. If we put the effort in and track our steps we eventually get there. 

Moses took the Israelites through on what but have seemed like a never ending journey. Were they ever going to reach that promised land? God has a habit of leading us the long way round. There are lessons he wants us to learn along the way. Without the wilderness experiences we don’t grow, in-fact we just become complacent and comfortable. There is more to life than sitting in our cosy armchair in our PJs and fluffy slippers. This journey that God invites us on with him is one of joy and excitement. Embrace it! 

Lead me to the helter-skelter Lord! Bring on the laughter!

Look

As I reflect back on 2021 I can not help but be a little saddened. It’s a year all of us would have found difficult with the threat of Covid-19 hanging over us, like the proverbial bad penny. Life was not as it used to be. In many ways it is a distortion of what it should be, and yet this is life. Life to be lived and embraced, well maybe not so much of the embracing! As a hugger I’ve missed being able to hug my friends and those in need of comfort. Boris Johnson cry to ‘keep safe’ and ‘to keep the two meter rule’ has, in the main, been heeded. Then we could get closer as long as we were wearing a protective mask, but not too close! Then have been so many restriction and rule changes it’s been hard to keep up at times. 

‘This far the Lord has helped us’ (1Samuel 7:12) but with all journeys there has been tears along the way, but there has also been joy. For me the birth of a grandson, and the news of another little one on the way. There’s been breaks away and exploring along the Devon and Cornwall coast. There’s been many a walk in the woods or across the fields, down tracks I’ve never ventured before. There has been time to sit, and to gaze, and to wonder. There has been more time to simply be, and more time to hang out with the Creator and hear his voice through the wings of a butterfly, or the bleating of a sheep, or the bubbling sound of streams and rivers, and the roar of the ocean. 

In many ways my senses have been heightened and fine tuned. It has its advantages when it comes to listening to and sensing God. The disadvantage comes when I’m left on ‘high alert’ and the constantly covid risk assessments are left dancing in my head. We have all needed to keep grounded and I’m sure we are all that little bit more resilient for ploughing on through such difficult times. 

As I look forward to the journey ahead and what 2022 has in store for me I wonder who will come on that journey with me? Where will we go? What will we find along the way? Will it all be an uphill struggle? Will there be fun along the way? The good thing about climbing hills and mountains is the view from the top. Psalm 24 asks, ‘Who may ascend the hill of the Lord?’ The invite is to all of us. There may be things that have to be worked out along the way, but that’s OK. Grace and mercy are offered in abundance. (Have a look at the Psalm if you wonder what I’m talking about.) 

Will you come and join me in my journey through 2022? The territory is unknown, we have not been that way before, but ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us’ and I have no doubt he will continue to do so. 

Just Be

Gloucester Cathedral is such a beautiful place to just be. I could loose myself for hours here. These beautiful windows by Thomas Denny were made to mark the 900th anniversary of the Cathedral which was originally built as an abbey (Saint Peter’s) in 1089. The middle window depicts Thomas and the windows either side are based on Psalm 148 and the praise of God’s creation. The windows seem to bathe you in their warm blue light as you stop and gaze upwards at them. 

There is so much rushing around in this world the pace of life really isn’t healthy for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. The Covid-19 pandemic has been so difficult but one of the good things is that it has caused many of us to slow down and to reconsider our priorities in life. So what’s important to you? 

Thomas, known as ‘doubting Thomas’ had to put his hand in Jesus’ side to prove Jesus’ resurrection. He wanted to see those nail marks and where the spear pierced Jesus’ side, he had to be sure! Perhaps you to doubt God’s existence? Look around you and see his creation. The spectacular views from the hills and mountain tops, the flowers in the meadows, the streams meandering through the valleys, the ocean as it hits the rocks - can you really look at that and say for sure there is no God? 

Perhaps the pandemic has made you angry with God? I can understand that, God does to. It’s Ok to be angry with God, he’s big enough to take it. Life has been hard for so many of us. We don’t have to face those tough times on our own God is there with us. Take time to just be - to be with God with no agenda, just you and him. Try it. Invite him to talk to you through the wonders of his creation. And if you know him already then take a moment anyway and let his peace fill your soul. Just be. 

Time

The summer sun was drawing in 

Casting shadows and patterns upon the land.

Reflecting and dancing along streams and rivers

As it bounced under bridges and into a distant land.

As the swifts got ready to leave echoes of their song

Hung in the air along the banks of the Severn.

Blackberry bushes laden with their fruits ripe for picking

Enticed the walkers to taste of their wares. 

Summer turned into autumn as the nights drew in

Cosy nights by the fire beckoned once more. 

In the blink of an eye time moved on

Marching to the beat of its own delight. 

Copyright Revdjo 1/9/2021

Movers and shakers

The movers, the shakers,

the people of peace, 

Where are they Lord 

and who do they seek? 

The poets, the artists, 

the creatives who see,

What do they notice

and do they see me?

The streetwise, the hive minds,

The melody makers, 

Why do they stand by

And watch all these fakers?

The vloggers, and bloggers,

The tweeters, and bleaters,

Who are these people 

And why all the cries?

The meek, and the lonely,

The downtrodden wives, 

The humble, the thirsty,

The victims of lies. 

These are the voiceless, 

The broken, the lost,

Who will suport them 

And what will that cost? 

©️Revdjo 25/3/2021 

One year since the UK went into Lockdown

It has been a year since England first went into lockdown due to to covid-19. What a year it has been!

It has become very apparent that we all need each other. Isolation has done nothing for our mental health and has particularly effected children and young people, and those who were already in danger of toppling over the edge. We have all needed a helping hand but reaching out is never easy, especially if you are struggling. That’s why community is important.

The world has had to slow down and rethink its steps, no bad thing. We have had to think about the things that are important to us. Priorities have changed. So, what has changed for you? When we eventually come out of this pandemic the world will be a much different place. How could we, or it, remain the same? 

In my own spiritual walk I have become more contemplative. Please don’t give me lots of words to inwardly digest but hit me with the simplicity of one thought to ponder. Give me a camera, or a piece of paper and a pen, or some paints, and let me loose in the garden of the Almighty. Let me ‘be’ with God. The doing will come later but for now I sit at my Saviours feet and wait a while. Will you come and join me? Will you take the Father’s outstretched hand and place yours in his?