Do we do more than survive?

There's been a lot of thoughts running round my head about so many things recently, but this last month has been one to try to survive. While starting to post I was reminded of the quote from Jesus about having life abundantly: it's certainly been true some of the time, but the last few weeks have just been hollow with me hanging on, doing what must be done, scraping by.

That's it really. Things will change, get better again, life will become fuller.

It's also important to remember that feelings are just that, and don't necessarily represent reality, even if you feel them. Sometimes we also ignore that there is a war on and Satan is very happy to pull us down, make us ineffective, bruised, guilty, resentful, dis-trusting, depressed and angry. Do we give in, do we just survive by the skin of our teeth as it feels, do we do any better than that?

This post isn't about anything in particular, other than an apology and excuse for  lack of content.

I know today is the 22nd of August

But it's really the 24th for me.

You can't escape the bugs!

In our garden.

We all need a little bit of grace & relief sometimes.

So God knows the encouragement we need.

In the morning you have a discussion with someone that goes pear-shaped, then in the evening you get home from work to find a letter from a dear friend - hand written, no less.

So now I must craft a reply, but in this case it will be with pleasure, rather than the trepidation that comes before hitting a certain blue button.

The Sunday afternoon walk

Radio debates and silence.

There was an interesting debate/discussion on BBC Radio 4 this morning, talking about silence and the church (among other things). He spoke with a perspective that *sounded* as though it were outside the Christian faith, and looking in.

The description he gave of silence being alien to the old testament was interesting, where God was always speaking to His people in contrast to the idols of the other nations that were only wood and stone, and therefore dumb and without speech. He also pointed out that silence as it became adopted along with mysticism, monasticism and the experiences of the desert fathers was basically borrowed from Syria and Buddhism: traders saw people and communities who looked holy, wanted some of that and brought it back. This certainly rang true with some of the things that were taught on a CoE course a couple of years back, with a Buddhist Christian chap who came along and presented some rather extra-biblical ideas.

Now there's a risk of 'baby and bathwater' in this, because the bible talks about being still and knowing God IS God, and that's important. But it's good to see where one's roots come from, and whether they are good & healthy or tap backwards into things that are less helpful. Sure there's sanctification, but sometimes I wonder how much God has been told to bless what we have decided to do instead of following Jesus' example and doing what we see our Father doing. And I'm considering both personal lives - mine included - and church structures, present and historical.

More bugs.

Yesterday, while riding I found a privet hawk moth caterpillar that had fallen from an oak tree onto the road.

And here's a bit of the trail.

It appears that

I've made it to the age of 52. Who'd a thunk it could happen?

Not recommended reading?

Following up on my rather rambly recommended reading post from a couple of weeks back, I came across Luke 11 v52 this morning:

KJ version - Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.

or

Message version - “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars! You took the key of knowledge, but instead of unlocking doors, you locked them. You won’t go in yourself, and won’t let anyone else in either.”

For anyone who likes to present theology as a series of abstract or difficult questions to people, this scripture should strike terror into your heart.