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?

blessings from the infidels

I'm getting tired of the sound of my busy typing fingers this week. From a once a month guy when it comes to blogs, I've sprayed colours into the blogosphere a lot this week. But there are reasons; the first thing to say is that my week has been particularly beautiful. This morning a received an amazing email from a friend.

He encouraged me to "keep praying". This was encouraging. He's not even a christian! And his email was warm, the funniest I think I have ever received. It exposed those lies people tell through their keyboards all the time... I genuinely laughed out loud. Probably woke the neighbours it was that funny.

My second encounter today was with Mormons in Ashton on my way to pick up some groceries. They were decent blokes. It's a shame they didn't follow Jesus as God. They would have made good Christians: very polite, reverent, honest, loving, friendly... norwegian. (honestly, one of them was!!!)

Not the wooden people you come to expect trying to sell you something, but people on a journey, who believed they'd found God, and wanted to tell the world about him. They even laughed when my phone went off, blaring the James Bond Title music in the Newspaper room at Ashton Public Library... if there's one place you don't want it to go off, then trust me, it's the newspaper room... the looks you'll get will tarnish one generations view of another forever!

Both of these instances were with people who don't know Jesus as God yet: "infidels" was the politically incorrect term that used to be used. I would not use such language: God loves each of these people with an unshakable passion.

We need that Palestinian refugee to teach us and to show us. I need his footsteps to follow more than ever.

'But the people grumbled and said "He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner"'. Luke 19:7 NRSV

It makes me laugh with a beautiful and appreciative Joy! LOL!