A is for Awesome

Who among the gods is like you, Lord?

Who is like you— majestic in holiness,

awesome in glory, working wonders?

Exodus 15:11 (NIV)

Who compares with you among gods, O God?

Who compares with you in power, in holy majesty,

In awesome praises, wonder-working God?

Exodus 15: 11 (The Message)

A-Z: Introduction - Truths from Scripture

What a strange world we are living in at the moment. Everything is so new, so different - and it's more than a bit scary! 

Perhaps this is the time for me to get back to basics in order to successfully jump-start this blog. So, as I dig deep to find inspiration and incentive to get back to blogging, I'm going to go back to words of scripture, just in time for my regular A-Z feature for the August period. Words that have helped me through lockdown, and while we are exploring what modern life is now like afterwards.

So here's a few thoughts from scripture for you; one a day, for the next 26 days.

See you on the other side of August.

God Never Changes

Things Change. 

2020 has seen some phenomenal changes to this world - because of the global pandemic that struck at the turn of the year. The term 'unprecedented' is clearly applicable. It has turned my life upside down - as it has done to literally everyone on this planet. Change was forced upon us. So much was stripped away from us. Many of us have lost loved ones to the virus. Our usual activities had to change. No church activities. No voluntary work. I've even got out of the habit of blogging (trying to pick this up now!)...

People Change.

The onset of the pandemic saw people revealing so much their true natures - greed, with the shops being emptied on essential supplies, as people stockpiled. And yet, kindness - with such love poured out to our essential workers. We learnt the importance of home. They say an Englishman's home is his castle - this became so very true to many of us as we learnt how to self-isolate; how to make better use of the personal space around us; how to master the computer and the internet so we could order on line, communicate with our loved ones using Messenger, using Zoom. 

Places Change.

You took a quick look around the towns and cities and could see the changes - everything was different. Signs marked out social distancing; arrows indicated directions to follow; access ways were limited, to protect people. All but essential shops were shut. Shopping quickly became a dangerous activity, a scary one. It wasn't fun anymore. You had to do it - unless you had mastered the art of how to use home delivery - and to get one of those elusive delivery slots (people change!)... the shops are starting to open now, however it's still not the same. Still not 'fun'. And won't be for a while ...

Friends Change.

Many of our friends now have longer hair. Many have wider waistlines. However, the changes haven't just been physical. We've all changed inside, having learnt new skills, discovered new passions... all while we have been keeping safe at home. When we get to see our friends again, they will have changed quite a bit ...

Careers Change.

This pandemic has had a considerable effect on people's working lives. Personally, I've had to embrace the concept of remote work arrangements - working from home. Such a strange concept, one that needed a complete change in my working pattern. Still, I count myself fortunate - I kept on working, was never 'furloughed'. And there have been so many who are now without work, their jobs gone due to the virus. So sad.

Economies Change. 

Sadly, this pandemic has effected everyone. It's going to adversely affect the world economy. How long will we be reeling from the effects of the virus? Many, many years.

However ... God Never Changes.

He's the same today as yesterday. He doesn't change. His offer of love and salvation to us all is still the same.

We can't worship physically together, however we can still worship. 

Seven Nation Army

A while ago, I set myself the challenge to come up with a list of modern songs that had their roots in things that are spiritual. Perhaps I succeeded, perhaps I didn't. I did, however, discover a large number of tracks that were inspired by my own particular church denomination, namely The Salvation Army. And I'm still finding more ...

Take, for example, the song Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. A rock classic...

The song was written and produced by Jack White, who wrote the track as a little experiment; a compelling song that did not include a chorus. The seven-note riff that is central to the song is most distinctive.

The song's title originated from the writer's mispronunciation of the name of The Salvation Army as a child. White was the seventh son of devout Catholics, and at one time was considering entering the priesthood; he actually got accepted, however didn't go as he worked out that he couldn’t take his guitar to the Wisconsin seminary... "I had just gotten a new amplifier in my bedroom, and I didn't think I was allowed to take it with me," he said in an interview.

The song title was used by White as a placeholder for the track before its lyrics were written; the name ultimately stuck. It became the band's signature song, soon reaching number one in the charts when released as a single. The song has gone on to become a sports and protest anthem.

Amazing World

Could Have Been Different...

Joy and Sadness

I went away on holiday after Christmas with my wife, and we ended up in the Netherlands, exploring the beautiful city of Rotterdam. It was very nice to immerse ourselves into a completely different culture for a while, leaving our worries and cares a whole country away...

Whilst I was away, I had the opportunity to catch up on satellite TV with a Pixar film called 'Inside Out' (2015), which I must admit I had avoided seeing at the time as I was a little unsure whether I would be able to enjoy it - or even endure it… Let me explain.

This animated film is set in the mind of a young girl named Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias), where five personified emotions — Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust - try to lead the girl through life.

As Riley grows up, her experiences become memories, which appear on screen as being stored in coloured orbs, which are sent into long-term memory each night. Her five most important 'core memories' start to form aspects of her personality which take the form of floating islands. Joy (Amy Poehler) acts as leader of her emotions, and since she and the other emotions do not understand Sadness's purpose, she tries to keep Sadness (Phyllis Smith) away from the main control console.

Everything starts going badly wrong when Riley and her parents (Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan) move from Minnesota to San Francisco… a series of unpleasant experiences from being so far out of her comfort zone affect Riley badly, and when Sadness causes Riley to cry in front of her school class, she creates Riley's first sad core memory. Joy tries to dispose of it quickly but accidentally knocks the other core memories loose during a struggle with Sadness, deactivating the personality islands. Joy, Sadness, and the core memories are then expelled out of Headquarters and sent to long-term memory storage.

By this stage in watching I was hooked. It was the only English language film on at the time, yet I felt  something deep inside myself wanting to turn it off (probably because it was getting a bit too close to home?). Could someone truly go through life without Joy or Sadness? It spoke to my inner me during one of my ‘bad days’. Days when I tend to emotionally switch off and simply ‘go through the motions’… deactivating the personality islands ... I was brave and kept going.

I won’t spoil the rest of it for you, but suffice it to say I literally ended up in tears by the end of the film.

I'll mention a couple of scenes in the film for you. At one point, Joy tries to prevent Sadness from having any influence on Riley by drawing a small chalk “circle of Sadness”, telling her to stay inside the circle. Apparently, psychologists call this type of behaviour 'emotional suppression' - that often something that leads to anxiety and depression. Finally, at the end of the film, Joy realises that she has to embrace the healthiest method for working with emotions: to accept Sadness for who she is. This is called 'mindfully embracing' an emotion.

This is something I need to learn in 2020. Hence, this rather personal blog post.

Jesus Saves

Tyler Moon was a keen runner and felt that this would be a great chance to fulfil a dream. He entered the Twin Cities 10 miler in Minneapolis on 6th October 2019.

On his bib, where his name would normally be, Moon decided to put the words ‘Jesus Saves’ in bold as a profession of his faith.

The runner recalls feeling confident for the run. However, just a mile in, Moon’s heart started to beat irregularly and the 25 year old experienced a ventricular tachycardia at the 8 mile mark.

Moon hit the ground hard and doesn’t remember anything after that moment.

However, just behind him was Jesus ‘Jesse’ Bueno, a registered nurse anaesthetist. He watched Moon hit the ground, called for other runners to call 911, as he and another person began CPR and breathing for Moon, ultimately saving his life.

Moon is making a great recovery and is so grateful Jesus was there to save his life.

True story. Just Google it.

It Makes Me Sad...

... when people are quick to accuse people and organisations of wrongdoing based on minimal information. Because it's easier to pigeonhole than to sort out the truth.
... when people are slow to offer help to people in need. Because they are 'different from us'. Guess what - we're all unique!
... when the people we try and help throw it back in our faces, preferring to continue on a self-destructive path. We can offer help but can't make anyone change.
... when we realise that you couldn't help them no matter what you did...

It makes me want to cry. Sometimes, I do. However, it doesn't  make me want to give up. It makes me want to fight on.

Nevertheless, I'll fight...

"While women weep, as they do now,
I'll fight
While little children go hungry, as they do now,
I'll fight
While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now,
I'll fight
While there is a drunkard left,
While there is a poor lost girl upon the streets,
While there remains one dark soul without the light of God,
I'll fight-I'll fight to the very end!" - William Booth

Tired