Leaving an Impression

Dear reader,

Just to let you know that I have moved to wordpress. You can find me blogging in the urban orchard

Cheers,

Jon : )

love and war

It's a striking dichotomy. Love and War. But it surmises remarkably the story I have recently found myself in.

The last few months have been pretty difficult for me, I've struggled and strived, and found that life can sometimes just be so hard. I've encountered immeasurable evil - like you would not believe.

But I have taken great hope from Ecclesiastes, for which I thank my little sister!

In chapter 3, the writer tells of how there is a time for everything under the sun. I specifically wanted to focus on: a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

What a remarkably wise statement! I've always struggled with balancing everything, and these words brought me great comfort.

I'll explain. I don't know if you're anything like me; sometimes I need to go to war against my work, or my emotions, or my approach, or (rarely, but sometimes) others. Sometimes I need to hate the status quo, hate the difficulties, hate the circumstances enough for me to want change so much it forces me to close my eyes, marigold my hands, or open my door, motivated by an angry love that it is not meant to be like this. And sometimes I don't need those emotions.

Life flows with an inevitable energy, a love that cannot be measured, a rhythm that's amazing. Everything works.

Whether war or peace, contentment follows... "He has made everything beautiful in it's time!" captures a mind-blowing understanding of a God whose work cannot be button holed, boxed in or summed up in three - short - words.

The flowers on the back lawn at college: breaking through the turf; the leaves on my garden path: very slowly dying and those wisdom teeth: still doing their utmost to burst through my gums. Beautiful. Love and War.

Where are your wars? And what do you love?

Don't Panic!

It's been a really hard week. I can't share details really, but all I will say is that I had to make a tough but necessary call the other day. It was pretty horrific.

It's been amazing for my character though. This week I have experienced the carnage of a very hurt, tragically broken world. It's a total mess. And it reminds me of the need for a broken, betrayed down and out saviour, who conquered death and all of his friends.

And yet this evening at around 5.30pm, as the sun was setting, as light bounced around, and dancing in step with the moon, the sun lit the view from my bedroom window with a spectacular, moody half light. The trees were at war with gravity as they clutched the sky, trying to drag the stars to earth. And the sky was fighting too, fighting the darkness, trying to stay alive. It could not. It was inevitable. But light will have its day at dawn.

Only the creator God could make such a beautiful world. And only such a God could redeem it. Can I wipe away all of the stains of human misery? Can I tell the sun to shine in the day or the moon to glow at night?

It is God who does such things. It is God who justifies. It is God who rescues. And his name is Jesus. Come Lord Jesus! Come Lord Jesus! Wipe away the tears from our faces, the tears of children and adults. The tears of those who long for the world to be transformed into the fullness of the kingdom you have promised through your Son. Come Lord Jesus!