A weekend prayer - from Columba

Here is a short prayer for us to use over this weekend. May God bless you.

"Alone with none but Thee, my God,
I journeyed on my way:
What need I fear, when Thou art near,
O King of night and day.
More safe am I within Thy hand
Than if a host did round me stand.

The Child of God can fear no ill,
His chosen dread no foe:
We leave our fate to Thee, and wait
The bidding when we go.
'Tis not from chance our comfort springs,
Thou art our trust, O King of Kings." - Saint Columba

May our King of Kings surround you with his grace and love.

Revelation 17:14 - "Together they will go to war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will defeat them because he is Lord of all lords and King of all kings. And his called and chosen and faithful ones will be with him.”

Living in Grace

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The Elixir

George Herbert wrote a remarkable poem in the early 1600's called the Elixir. The English is very old, but I still offer it to you as something to enjoy. His heart speaks of doing all things for the glory of God.

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything
To do it as for Thee.

Not rudely, as a beast,
To run into an action;
But still to make Thee prepossest,
And give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glass,
On it may stay his eye;
Or if he pleaseth, through it pass,
And then the heav'n espy.

All may of Thee partake:
Nothing can be so mean,
Which with his tincture—"for Thy sake"—
Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant with this clause
Makes drudgery divine:
Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws,
Makes that and th' action fine.

This is the famous stone
That turneth all to gold;
For that which God doth touch and own
Cannot for less be told.


Living in Grace

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The Quest - my story of Epiphany

 

The light draws me in – mysterious, divine, compelling.

I feel as though I am given a simple choice – follow the star and find the elusive answer or potentially live with a lingering, nagging wonder… where would the star have taken me?

Keeping the star in my sights, I persevere into the future. I am not yet sure if the brilliant light is just a mirage, a guide, or my ultimate destination. All I am sure of is that I must find the answer.

The journey is hard, but I continue to wander over mountains and through deep ravines. On occasion I stop to refresh and refocus on the great, glimmering goal. The wilderness is the toughest part of the quest; it is the audible silence that casts doubt on my desire for the light, but I push on.

My companions offer words of encouragement as we edge closer to the star. The mystery grows daily – larger and more pronounced, like a young pregnant mother watching the growth of her child from outside her stomach. Our questions are laced with nervous excitement and our words offer a hopeful consolation: have we made the right choice?

Wearily, but rhythmically, we plod on. At some point in the early evening, we are arrested by the silent, stationary star. Its arc has come to rest above an obscure and unlikely home. There are no magnificent palatial walls to mark the birth of this unique child. Where are the consorts and servants? Why are there no royal guards or physicians? There is no smell of a thousand fires, lit to feed the multitudes come to honour the king.

Perhaps this is all wrong? Has our wisdom been nothing but foolish guessing?

Yet, there is a faint sound emanating from a home on the eastern hillside. We see a dull light coming from the rudimentary shelter. In truth, it’s more like a stable, but there are signs of life coming from the open doorway. It is the voice of a weary young man, followed by the prayer of an emotionally drained teenage mother: Thank you for this gift, Yahweh!

In my heart I sense we have come to the appointed place, but my gut-feeling is confirmed when the sound of the angelic choir rises overhead. I have never heard hundreds of voices combine to this effect before. The overall message resounds as one, yet it is as if each distinctive voice is heard: Glory to the King!

Our hope is finally rewarded in this delightful moment. We choose to respectfully bow to the young parents, before we kneel before the child. It seems fitting that we honour the infant boy and as we rise from the dusty floor, the star reflects in his new-born eyes.

The gifts are for him, but we wonder if they are worthy enough for this special child. Will he even need them? Perhaps in the end he won’t, but it is what they truly represent that we have come to offer. Each precious treasure conveys the message of our hearts. We have found what we were looking for and now He deserves our genuine response.

And so, we offer Him:

Our allegiance. Our resources. Our All.

 

Living in Grace

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I find it incredible that when I ponder on the familiar stories of our faith there is always something new that touches my heart. These special events, in our Christian tradition, can deepen our faith and give us renewed purpose as we follow Jesus. God bless you as you keep your eyes fixed on the Light. 

 

My cup of compassion

I was given a beautiful piece of writing today that I really must share with you. The author is Joyce Rupp and she has a unique gift of expressing deep spiritual truths. She writes on the compassion of Jesus:

"My cup of compassion
holds tears of the world;
it overflows with sorrow,
struggles, and sadness.

my cup of compassion
holds the cries of children,
unfed, unloved,
unsheltered,
uneducated, unwanted.

my cup of compassion
holds the screams of war,
the tortured, slain,
imprisoned,
the raped, disabled.
...

my cup of compassion
I hold it to my heart
where the Divine dwells,
where love is stronger
than death and disaster."

May these words bless you as much as they have blessed me.

Living in Grace

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P.S. This is just part of her poem - I am sure you could find the rest on her website. 

Today I tried to run the world...and I failed!

This piece of writing is so spot on for many of us. It hit me straight in the heart and I pray that God speaks to you as much as I felt him speaking to me. I am grateful to the book 'Souvenirs of Solitude' by Brennan Manning for this gift. 

"Lord, today I tried to run the world singlehandedly,
I tried so hard, Lord,
to take care of everything.
I took upon myself
all of the problems,
all the burdens,
all the worries of everyone who makes up my little world.
I tried so hard, Lord, and I accomplished nothing.
I'm frustrated,
frazzled,
and exhausted to the point of tears.
Nothing seemed to go right.

Lord, will I never learn
that you're the one
who runs everything?
That you're the one
who knows all the answers?
That you're the only one
who can carry
the intolerable burdens
we try to shoulder for ourselves?
That you're the only one
who can solve
the insoluble problems?

That you're the only one
who accomplishes anything of worth?
That everything depends on you?

Lord, sometimes I wonder why

you bother to put up with me.

Sometimes I wonder

if you're not sorely tempted

to take me by the shoulders 

and shake me until my teeth rattle.

I couldn't blame you if you did.

Thank you Lord,

for putting up with me today.

And thank you, Lord,

for doing things YOUR way!" - Brennan Manning.

Living in Grace

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Death shall have no dominion - A reflection on Dylan Thomas's words

Dylan Thomas fans will remember that he wrote a number of brilliant, and some controversial, poems. One of them was called: Death shall have no dominion. Although this is not the platform to debate his views on God, Dylan Thomas does make an excellent point on death. In fact, his views are just an echo of the New Testament writers. He writes:

Dead man naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

Nineteen hundred years earlier, the Apostle Paul wrote: 

“Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ." - 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

We are living in very sobering times at the moment friends, but let us remember that the worst of things (death) has been swallowed up in Victory.

Thanks be to Jesus.

Living in Grace

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Who is driving?

I came across this lovely piece of writing this past week. It made me think about who is in control of my life? Hope you enjoy it.

“At first I saw God as my observer, my judge, keeping track of the things I did wrong, so as to know whether I merited heaven or hell when I die. He was out there sort of like a president. I recognized his picture when I saw it, but I really didn’t know Him.

But later on, when I met Christ, It seemed as though life were rather like a bike ride, but it was a tandem bike, and I noticed that Christ was in the back helping me pedal.

I don’t know when it was that he suggested that we change places, but life has not been the same since. When I had control, I knew the way. It was rather boring, but predictable. . . It was the shortest distance between two points.
But when Jesus took the lead, He knew delightful long cuts, up mountains, and through rocky places at breakneck speeds, It was all I could do to hang on! Even though it looked like madness, He said, "Pedal!"

I worried and was anxious and asked, "Where are you taking me?" He laughed and didn’t answer, and I started to learn to trust. I forgot my boring life and entered into the adventure. And when I’d say "I’m scared," He’d lean back and touch my hand.” - Anon

Who is driving in your life?

Living in Grace

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Why would you exchange a castle for a stable?

Max Lucado writes a moving piece about the choice that God made when he sent Jesus into our world. In the simplicity of these words we grasp the magnitude of God's humility and willingness to lay his glory aside for us.

"Jesus swapped a spotless castle for a grimy stable.
He exchanged the worship of angels for the company of killers.
He could hold the universe in his palm,
But have it up to float in the womb of a maiden."

John 10:18 - "No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Living in Grace

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Abide with me

 

It is so often the case that we know a great song (in this case a Hymn), but we don't know who the author is. So, what I would like to do on occasion is share a little background to some of these poets, song-writers and musicians. The timeless Hymns 'Abide with me' and 'Praise my soul, the King of Heaven' were written by the same poet - Henry Francis Lyte and today we will reflect on his life.

As you dig a little around his life-story you begin to see that he experienced a fair share of his own struggle and pain, which perhaps makes his writing more sincere. As a teenager, his father arranged for Henry and his brother to attend a school in Ireland, and then proceeded to abandon his family altogether. Years later Henry and his new bride lost a young child, and he also struggled with illness in his late twenties, which is believed to have been asthma and bronchitis. Henry served in various churches as a vicar and died at a relatively young age of 54.

So, why am I telling you all this? Well for the simple reason of giving us a little background to some of the great hymns/songs of our Churches and also to show how our personal struggles can shape our lives and testimony. Henry Francis Lyte didn't live a life absent of pain and suffering, yet he used this tribulations to draw near to Jesus and reflect on them through poetry.

The words of 'Abide with me' have helped so many people deal with their own struggles and grief and so as we read the words again, may we remember that God is always with us. God will ABIDE with us.

Abide with me! Fast falls the Eventide;
The darkness thickens. Lord, with me abide
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me!

Living in Grace
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If I cannot find .....

Oh my goodness - what a challenging, real, powerful piece of writing. Please don't "enjoy" it, but rather be moved by the words!

If I cannot find the face of Jesus in the face of those who are my enemies,

If I cannot find him in the unbeautiful, 

If I cannot find him in those who have the “wrong ideas,”

If I cannot find him in the poor and the defeated,

how will I find him in the bread and wine, or in the life after death? 

If I do not reach out in this world to those with whom he has identified himself, 

why do I imagine that I will want to be with him, and them, in heaven?

Why would I want to be for all eternity in the company of those I avoided every day of my life? - Jim Forest

Matthew 9:13 - "But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Living in Grace

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Mid-course Correction

I have just finished reading a wonderful book by Gordon MacDonald entitled "Mid-Course Correction." As some may assume, it is NOT a book about going through mid-life crisis, but rather a book that reflects on the reality that many people are frustrated in their lives - they feel a sense of having gone down a wrong road or are even asking the question: "Is this all that life has to offer?"

MacDonald quotes the poet Ed Sissman:

"People past forty
Get up nights
Look out at city lights
And wonder why life is so long
And where they made the wrong turn."

Of course, this can happen to any person, not just those in their forties. Young Adults fresh out of school or university ask this question and so do newly retired folk. And when we ask this question, we may have to get to a point of making a 'mid-course Correction.' In other ways, being brave enough to change the direction our spiritual lives are heading in, while we are still trying to survive on a daily basis. It is the mid-course correction that could save our lives!

Proverbs 12:1 - Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

Proverbs 15:10 - Stern discipline awaits anyone who leaves the path; the one who hates correction will die.

Living in Grace
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My beloved!

Most Christians don't really know what to do with Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) in the Bible. The easiest interpretation of the book is that the poetry is a representation of God's love for us. While this is not wrong, the poetry is really rooted in the love of two people for each other. It is the 'human' love that is a shadow of the GREAT LOVE that God has for us.

With verses like this, we can see why people are drawn to the beautiful poetry of these chapters:

"You have captured my heart,
    my treasure, my bride.
You hold it hostage with one glance of your eyes,
    with a single jewel of your necklace.
¹⁰ Your love delights me,
    my treasure, my bride.
Your love is better than wine,
    your perfume more fragrant than spices.
¹¹ Your lips are as sweet as nectar, my bride.
    Honey and milk are under your tongue.
Your clothes are scented
    like the cedars of Lebanon." - Song of Solomon 4:9-11

And then ..... Chapter 8:6-8

Love flashes like fire,
    the brightest kind of flame.
⁷ Many waters cannot quench love,
    nor can rivers drown it.
If a man tried to buy love
    with all his wealth,
    his offer would be utterly scorned.

May these words of Solomon spark off our prayers of LOVE for our Saviour. May God be blessed through our response to His grace.

Living in Grace
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This is the age

I found this very challenging poem last week. Read it slowly and see what message it sends through to you today. God bless.

 

This is the age
Of the half-read page.
And the quick hash
And the mad dash.   

The bright night
With the nerves tight
The plane hop
With the brief stop.

The lamp tan
In short span.
The Big Shot
In a good spot

And the brain strain
The heart pain.
And the cat naps
Till the spring snaps --

And the fun's done!

"Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, Jon Johnston, 1990, SP Publications, p. 143."

 Psalm 39:1 - “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
  and the number of my days;
  let me know how fleeting my life is.

Living in Grace

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Cross in my pocket

I remember a few years ago there was a poem that did the rounds - it was called 'The Cross in my Pocket'. The words are simple, yet deeply profound and the thing I love most about it, is that it reminds me to include Jesus in my life, daily.

It is so hard to try and go through life on our own strength and to figure things out by ourselves, but we all need God. Carrying the symbol of the cross in my pocket is one way of reminding myself to choose Jesus in all my deliberations and decisions. It is a overflow of inviting God to reign in my heart. Having Christ in my heart (and pocket) is a worthwhile decision to make for any new year.

In case, you have never read the poem, here it is.

I carry a cross in my pocket
A simple reminder to me
Of the fact that I am a Christian
No matter where I may be. 

This little cross is not magic,
Nor is it a good luck charm
It isn't meant to protect me
From every physical harm. 

It's not for identification
For all the world to see
It's simply an understanding
Between my Savior and me. 

When I put my hand in my pocket
To bring out a coin or a key
The cross is there to remind me
Of the price He paid for me. 

It reminds me, too, to be thankful
For my blessings day by day
And to strive to serve Him better
In all that I do and say. 

It's also a daily reminder
Of the peace and comfort I share
With all who know my Master
And give themselves to His care. 

So, I carry a cross in my pocket
Reminding no one but me
That Jesus Christ is the Lord of my life
If only I'll let Him be. (Poem accredited to Mrs Verna Mae Thomas)

Be blessed
Living in Grace
D3LM3