Regaining Perspective

Finally, last Sunday the news came through! We knew it was coming but we didn't exactly know when. In early May, Tim, (our daughter's boyfriend) invited us round to his flat? Why?... We were pretty confident we knew the reason particularly as Lorna wasn't there. After some polite and slightly awkward conversation Tim finally asked our blessing to marry Lorna! Hooray! But then we had to wait, when would he propose?... We'd no idea! On Saturday, 16th June we sat enjoying a picnic overlooking the rocky coastline at Pendeen Lighthouse... the phone call we'd been waiting for finally arrived. An excited Lorna exclaimed...'guess what'? I should explain Tim had arranged for Lorna's fairtrade engagement ring to be made, hence the delay. You can imagine we were then desperate to share this wonderful news but were instructed to hold fire until Tim released the information on Facebook! Finally...

Busy doing nothing! This is now the sixth week we've been away. I've never felt so relaxed and chilled in all my life! That is until this week when suddenly tension, nervousness and anxiety flooded back. Why? What happened? What went wrong? In a word..."England"! My country of birth, more specifically its football team, came to trouble me once again! It was the same old story, the World Cup returned and my passion for football meant I was compelled to torture myself with England v Tunisia! Stroll on how can 90+ minutes be so stressful?! I realise it is totally ridiculous, after all this is just a football match but I can't seem to help myself. Since the age of nine I've been obsessed with footy. Above is a photo of my school team (under 11's), can you spot me? Even though I'm 60 in October I still play 5-a-side every Wednesday evening for an hour (unless work or holiday gets in the way). Such is my competitive nature....when I get home Rut...

Glorious! This week I read these familiar words...“Trust in the  Lord  with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5–6). To “make . . . paths straight” means God will guide us toward His goals for our growth. His ultimate goal is that you and I become more like Him. Later the same day we embarked on another coastal path walk this time from Pendeen Lighthouse to Rosemergy and back again. Well... the path wasn't exactly straight  but the views and experience were glorious. On our way back we took a detour to a golden sandy beach in the splendid evening sunshine. As I stood, bare feet, with magnificent crashing waves cooling and soothing my aching toes it was almost as if I could hear God say "there you go, feel a bit of my creation"! A few moments later literally a few feet away a seal popped his...

Who do we recognise? Last Sunday after church a member of the congregation asked if Ruth and I were there to have our Banns of Marriage read. He'd mistakenly recognised us as a couple preparing to get married! I gently explained he was almost 34 years too late! A couple of days later as I walked through Penzance a little old lady clearly thought I was a local as she stopped me and asked for directions to... wait for it... 'Specsavers'. She obviously needed glasses!   At the beginning of this 4th week of our Sabbatical I read this prayer: "Father, open the eyes of my heart to clearly see who Jesus is and what He can do".  It was a gentle nudge that as I relax, stop and take stock I need to ensure I continue recognising who this Jesus chap actually is! Fortunately as I read this famous quote from C.S. Lewis popped out: “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God; or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool; you can spi...

Regaining Perspective! Week three... we met up with good friends on holiday nearby and enjoyed another fabulous walk, a pub lunch, more walking and then concluded with a scrumptious cream tea set in a wonderful garden shaded from bright sunshine. We had a cracking good time together. It was a reminder of the value of good pals and the importance of relationship. Our friends have endured tough times recently and the road remains rocky for them. As we wandered the coastal path, sharing the beautiful views and engaging in conversation we spoke of how difficulties (whilst often unpleasant) do have a strange habit of helping us regain perspective. I stood with one of our two friends observing the rugged rocks and crashing waves and he remarked how looking at this amazing landscape provided proof that something must be behind it. A creator God of some sort must exist... how could it just have come into being on its own. As we departed I said w...