Eternal Echoes

Lindisfarne Scriptorium-Mary Fleeson

A number of people have remarked on the clip art on my blog, it comes from the Lindisfarne Scriptorium and is by author and artist Mary Fleeson.

A lot of it is contained within her book Life Journey-A Call to Christ Centered Living, here the beautiful art work is brought to life through paryers, meditations and suggested actions. Marys spirituality is deeply rooted in Christ whist remaining practical and thoughtful. The book sits on my desk as a daily inspiration and aid to prayer.

Yake a look at the Lindisfarne Scriptorium for yourself.

Lenten Blog

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Future ???

I've just come away from an evening meeting that has left me quite shaken..I started working in rural Norfolk in 2003, as a job share with my husband Tim. As Community workers our brief was to reach the missing generations. A quick look around revealed that that meant anyone under 70!

Families are a rarity in our church life as are children and teenagers...the culture of the place means that a fair ammount of folk religion exists but church is seen as dull and irrelevant.

We work in school asemblies, with young mums groups and boys brigade, engaging with these folk and grtting to know them. Slowly slowly we are making progress, praying for folk, listening to their stories and sharing in their lives ...

But the church have budgeted us out of the picture, there is no apparent budget  for our post beyond 2007 . We have not set up any great events or brought great numbers of people into the church for the Sunday morning services, but the relationships are growing in depth and we are really starting to see new growth...

What will become of these seedlings, if they are abandoned because they don't fit yet?

It is not as if the funding is not available there is plenty of money in investment accounts.

How did a church grow so far away from the culture it is set in that it simply does not understand it?

All we can do is pray and seek God for what to do over the next year and a half,pray that he will enable these seedlings to grow, that he will pour out his life giving nurturing spirit upon them...

And I am left thinking could I have done more?

What colour are you?

VIOLET

You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and belive strongly in your personal morals.

Find out your color at Quiz Me!

Transfiguration Thoughts

Jean has some wonderful thoughts on the transfiguration...

I'm just looking through tomorrows Scriptures before I head for bed...

I love the Corinthians passage it is one of my favourites..

several questions come up..how do we as a church veil the truth of the gospel?

What masks do we wear as individuals, how do these affect our relationship with God?

What would it mean to remove masks, take down barriers and be open ?

I'm thinking on these things....

... if we saw Jesus full glory unveiled would we be changed...would we stumble around for words like  Peter did,...would our faces be radiant like Moses face when he recieved the Ten commadments...

Jesus came to remove the veil that seperates us from God...the wonderfulmystery of that is in our thoughts tomorrow, as we meditate on the glory of Christ revealed...

Mark 9:7-9 (MsgB) 
    Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: "This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him."
    [8] The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus.
    [9] Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. "Don't tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you're free to talk."

WE ARE FREE TO TALK!!!

On having a big soul..

In running into God today Dave Tomlinson looks at John 12 1-8, the account of Mary annointng Jesus feet.

He looks at Judas reaction, and the awkardness of the others present at the meal, masked by concern for the poor and that conventional social customs have been swept aside, quoting Mary Gordons novel Final Payments

I understand. What Christ was saying, what he meant was that the pleasure of that hair, that ointment, must be taken. Because the accidents of death would depriv us soon enough. We must not deprive ourselves, our loved ones, of the luxury of extravagant affectins. We must not second-guess death by refusing to love the ones we loved in favour of the anonymous poor.

Not that we should neglect the poor this is not an either or choice!

He looks at what a sensual and generous gesture this was, and asks how well we recieve blessing...

Perhaps our real unease with the story comes from our awkardness in asking, giving or recieving blessings, to each other at all. Expressions of love, no where near as extravagant as Marys, are too vulnerable, too revealing of desire or love.

How interesting that Jesus accepted her gesture and allowed himself to savour the momment, how often do we recognise that Jesus enjoys our company, our expressions of love and if only we dared our extravagance towards him...how often do we hold back from asking for something we would really desire because we feel we are not worth it, or worse that we see God as a stern character who does not take delight in us...

Two things stood out for me today, one was how large hearted Jesus was in accepting this gesture, and second how open Mary was in her desire to love Jesus...

Lord grant me such openness of heart I pray. Amen

50 tips for living

Friends of the earth have produced 50 tips for cutting waste

Here are the top 10

1. Use your kerbside recycling scheme, if you have one, as provided for under the new Household Waste Recycling Act.
2. Next Valentine's Day or Easter, send an e-card instead of a paper one - nearly 10,000 of our e-cards were sent in December. See www.foe.co.uk/cards.
3. Avoid disposable batteries - use rechargeable ones with solar powered rechargers.
4. Refuse plastic carrier bags - use a cotton one instead.
5. Buy loose fruit and veg from a local market or grocer rather than highly-packaged goods from supermarkets - it can be cheaper too.
6. Buy cotton cloths for the kitchen clean-up instead of disposable kitchen roll.
7. Buy refills for sturdy packs of washing powders, liquids, salt, etc.
8. Use a milk delivery service - the glass bottle kind - if there's one in your area.
9. Home compost your garden and kitchen waste - most councils now offer advice.
10. The fibres from your old clothes can be shredded and rewoven. Try British Red Cross shops www.redcross.org.uk, tel: 020 7235 5454.

See more 

Outside my window

A few of our morning visitors

Aren't they great... they are all Blue Tits, such beautiful little thing, they form a queue and come to feed every morning..they've become an interesting part of my prayer time!

Friendship Friday Five

Playing Songbirds Friday five! Five people who have been there when I needed them

• Lynda an amazing friend, not just there for me but for anyone who needs her, always ready to write letters or bake cakes shes one w to run away toonderful lady
• Hazel, a listening ear and a walk when its needed.
• Peter who dares to ask the hard questions
• Ed &Trish (come as a pair)-sorry for cheating but I couldn't name one without the other, always welcoming, a place to run away to
• Tim my lover and friend married for 24 yrs now...looking forward tomany more!!!

Just another cheat but I must mention Liz we've held each other up so often...

Feeling God

P salm. 27  ,     Luke 13 31-35

How do you feel about God?  Still working my way through Dave Tomlinsons book  Running into God, this devotion intrigues me; we may be able to say and know in our heads many things about God's love and mercy and grace, but how do you feel about God?

Does he approve/ disapprove of you?

Are you concious of being special and chosen or do you feel worthless a bit of an imposter at a party which is somehow celebrating others and not you?

Do you see a stern task master or a loving Father?

I have to admit that often what I say and how I feel are two different things, I find it hard to be loved by God, hard to accept Jesus words of affirmation and mercy, hard to accept his sacrifice was also for me....and yet this is what I preach...

In the passage of Luke we see Jesus looking over Jerusalem and speaking some astonishing words, having been warned that Herod is after him he uses a picture of himself as the mother hen wishing to gather her chicks under her wings, a place of saftey and comfort... He calls Herod a fox, Jesus is it seems aware of his own human vulnerability, yet even so wishes to gather his people to comfort and protect them in the face of the enemy.

In the face of a fox the mother hen would surely loose her life giving everything...

How do you feel about God?

Can you say with the psalmist

Psalm 27:4-6 (MsgB) 
        I'm asking God for one thing,
            only one thing:
        To live with him in his house
            my whole life long.
        I'll contemplate his beauty;
            I'll study at his feet.
        [5] That's the only quiet, secure place
            in a noisy world,
        The perfect getaway,
            far from the buzz of traffic.
        [6] God holds me head and shoulders
            above all who try to pull me down.
        I'm headed for his place to offer anthems
            that will raise the roof!
        Already I'm singing God-songs;
            I'm making music to God.   ?

Do you have the confidence to see a God who when you get otu of your depth holds you head and shoulders above all who would hold you down...a father giving you a piggy back so that you are lifted above the crowds?