Post by JEM on Jun 8, 2020 11:58:53 GMT
THOUGHTS FROM NATURE MARCH 19
I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year this morning, in the garden. It may be a bird that has overwintered in the UK or it could be an early arrival back from Africa. Either way, its simple yet determined song stopped me in my tracks as I was brushing my teeth.
We are living through complicated times with many new and confusing messages. The Chiffchaff keeps it simple. So simple that its song gave it its name.
In the midst of the noise and confusion may we be reminded of the simplicity of prayer. When we do not know what or how to pray we can remember the promise of Romans 8:26, 'Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.' Take a few minutes today to sit quietly. You might find it helpful just to speak Jesus' name to the rhythm of your breathing. Don't worry too much about the words. Listen for God in the stillness.
And if that all sounds a bit too simple then simply remember, it seems to work for the Chiffchaff.
Love and peace, John
MARCH 20
At a recent conference we were being encouraged to set our sails to catch the wind - an excellent metaphor for participating with God in what God is doing in our lives. Whether the image is of a large many sailed tall ship or a small, fast sailing dinghy, allowing God's Spirit to fill us and guide us is good Christian encouragement.
But my mind works in awkward directions. The image of setting your sails is good, but it only allows you to navigate the surface of the water. What about the way that seabirds use the wind to swoop and soar? Gannets and Shearwaters somehow make the relatively sedentary progress of our sailing boats seem tame in comparison.
And what of going beneath the surface? One of my highlights in 2019 was standing on the deck of MS Braemar in the Bay of Biscay and hearing and seeing a large whale (probably a Sei Whale) at the surface just off to port, less than 100 metres away. It stayed at the surface for a minute or so, easily keeping up with the speed of our cruise ship, before it slipped away below the surface to inhabit a world totally alien to mere surface dwellers like us.
As many of us find our lives temporarily constricted and limited we would do well to remember that many folk live with the enforced restrictions of circumstances all of the time. Maybe we will learn more compassion and understanding. But maybe we will also begin to wonder if there is more to life and faith than we have yet explored. Have we become spiritual surface dwellers when God is actually calling us to go deeper and soar higher than we ever dreamed possible? Our holidays may have been cancelled but we can still set out on new adventures in God, to go deeper and to soar higher! Amen? John
I heard my first Chiffchaff of the year this morning, in the garden. It may be a bird that has overwintered in the UK or it could be an early arrival back from Africa. Either way, its simple yet determined song stopped me in my tracks as I was brushing my teeth.
We are living through complicated times with many new and confusing messages. The Chiffchaff keeps it simple. So simple that its song gave it its name.
In the midst of the noise and confusion may we be reminded of the simplicity of prayer. When we do not know what or how to pray we can remember the promise of Romans 8:26, 'Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words.' Take a few minutes today to sit quietly. You might find it helpful just to speak Jesus' name to the rhythm of your breathing. Don't worry too much about the words. Listen for God in the stillness.
And if that all sounds a bit too simple then simply remember, it seems to work for the Chiffchaff.
Love and peace, John
MARCH 20
At a recent conference we were being encouraged to set our sails to catch the wind - an excellent metaphor for participating with God in what God is doing in our lives. Whether the image is of a large many sailed tall ship or a small, fast sailing dinghy, allowing God's Spirit to fill us and guide us is good Christian encouragement.
But my mind works in awkward directions. The image of setting your sails is good, but it only allows you to navigate the surface of the water. What about the way that seabirds use the wind to swoop and soar? Gannets and Shearwaters somehow make the relatively sedentary progress of our sailing boats seem tame in comparison.
And what of going beneath the surface? One of my highlights in 2019 was standing on the deck of MS Braemar in the Bay of Biscay and hearing and seeing a large whale (probably a Sei Whale) at the surface just off to port, less than 100 metres away. It stayed at the surface for a minute or so, easily keeping up with the speed of our cruise ship, before it slipped away below the surface to inhabit a world totally alien to mere surface dwellers like us.
As many of us find our lives temporarily constricted and limited we would do well to remember that many folk live with the enforced restrictions of circumstances all of the time. Maybe we will learn more compassion and understanding. But maybe we will also begin to wonder if there is more to life and faith than we have yet explored. Have we become spiritual surface dwellers when God is actually calling us to go deeper and soar higher than we ever dreamed possible? Our holidays may have been cancelled but we can still set out on new adventures in God, to go deeper and to soar higher! Amen? John