Holidays, Birthdays, Come Day, Go Day...

Ruth and I were recently in south west France. We stayed in an area where many of the villages are “bastides” – fortified communities from the 13^th century. These villages are truly beautiful in many ways. Certainly they are quaint. They stand out above the surrounding countryside and draw in the traveller to take a closer look. Monflanquin, where we stayed, is typical.

 Of course, once “inside”, the very best ones have  been preserved by the judicious use of planning orders – and why not? They take you back centuries, they are a great attraction and provide a window into the past. The bastide of Pujols is one of the very best preserved, and is often used as a film set in its own right.

I have found Jesus to be like one of these bastides.He provides for me a place of great security where nothing changes, where I know that I always find Him the same through all my yesterdays,in my today and, by faith forever. Maybe this strikes a chord with you too?

The great thing is that, with all this changelessness, I don't think that God has slapped a preservation order on me! Rather, He has made me like the wide open beach at Hourtin Plage.

We would travel hours to enjoy it again – we did only a few weeks ago! It too has a timeless quality for us. But let’s not kid ourselves, the ocean is powerful and never stops changing this great sweep of coast. One of Hourtin’s great attractions for Ruth is the power of the ocean as it strikes open beach.

Safe inside the bastide of Jesus, my sense of things is that He has called us to be like a wide open stretch of coast – constantly in change as the ocean rolls up and back. Sometimes the change is slow and almost imperceptible and may give rise to a sense of stability. Like me,you may even grow impatient for change. Sometimes the ocean is a wild ride. It feels like a battering and the change can be drastic. But that is how it is when you are called to be a stretch of wild attractive coastline in God’s plan. You will continue to draw people – some for vacation, some to take up residence. They will come because you offer a terrific place in the sun, but some will come for the hidden wonders – the wide sky, the sense of solitude in other seasons, the rich flora and fauna of the dunes (which are them-selves constantly in a state of flux.)

 I just had a "Welcome to 60" party - thanks Ruth, thanks family, thanks friends! I think that I still have to enjoy the safety and security of the bastide. I think that I still have some time to revel in the excitement of what the years ahead will bring as the ocean cycles its tides and the seasons work their changes and continue to draw the crowds.

 As our grand daughter often says, "How about you?"

Mobile up-date #1

 See? I knew that I could get the hang of this mobile phone business.

I am already becoming just a little fearful of the new upgrade my provider has promised me in August.

Two very ominous happenings coming over life's horizon at once - new phone with new challenges, in partnership with 60th birthday (tricks dog an new you old teach can't - decipher in own time.)

We were once given a large colour TV (at a time when they were relatively rare) and had difficulty fitting it into our living room. I spend an inordinate amount of time in the garden shed trying to figure out what to do with a wonderful free gift that challenged the upholstered status quo chez-nous.

40 years ago, I was offered an amazing free gift which I sort of let into my house but have spent ages, on and off, figuring how to put it to good use. God, thankfully has been very patient, but bring on the new and it's like upgrading the phone!

Still, here I am, 40 years on, almost free bus-pass material, and coping with the heavenly up-grades as the Provider keeps offering them to His loyal (and sometimes not-so-loyal) customers.

Whatever it is that's new to you, look, listen, inwardly digest and give it time.

Well! Back at last!

No one said that the internet would be easy. No one promised an easy ride on the old Blog Horse. I seem to have lost my way for almost a couple of years. Still, I'm definitely back now, and having dipped my toe in the water, more must surely follow.

There are so many tales to tell!

Enough for now as the new reality needs time to sink in and we try to make a link from this to the email account, etc etc etc.

It's like breaking your mobile phone. After acquiring a new second hand one from the kids (again) you then have all the new technology to conquer. It took me all morning just to get my contacts sorted out. I now run a Samsung Edge or something of the sort. 

I was at Queen's University Belfast a few years ago and thought on to switch off the mobile while a I addressed a group of nursing students. This acted as a spur to the nursing tutors to do the same. All of us put our phones down on the desk. All were old school and all, as it turns out, were hand-me-downs from our kids. Meanwhile, all the students were busy shutting down their I-Cod, Galaxy-Milk-Android platformed kinder cell video/hi-fi/web based communicators.

I can remember when you had to put four pennies in the slot and press button B (or was it button A).

Enough. Back in a while.