reflection

Most of the day's been spent in preparing the message for Sunday morning's worship service.

It's been good to have the chance to kind of 'draw aside' a bit, reflect on all that has been going on, relate that to the Scripture God has laid upon my heart, and hear through all of that just what it is he's saying to us all.

I found it quite striking in this connection that I should receive an e-mail today which spoke about the balance in the life of one of the saints of old, the balance between relationships (being out there with and among the people) and solitude (being away from the crowds and alone with God).

Time for involvement: and time for reflection, too. That was a feature of their lives. And, of course, it was a feature of the life of Jesus himself.

Today was more of the solitude bit for me.

Not entirely, mind, by any means! Dale, the man who serves as 'beadle' at the church, he asked if I would go and get some fuel for the lawnmower here: today's his grass-cutting day. So we went along, he and I, to fill up his container with some petrol from the pumps.

I almost got into trouble for that! I didn't read the notice at the pumps, which says these days you have to show containers to the person at the shop before you even start to fill them up.

This is all the sequel to the Glasgow Airport 'bombing' (well, the attempt at that): any person buying fuel like that is seen to be, potentially at least, a bomber in disguise. I smiled at the thought. I figured that I'd need to take a bit of care just where I joked about my maybe being an arsonist!

And, yes, there was a bit of time as well being spent today on 'managing' the fires I'd accidentally started through the week: fires that have been burning on, albeit now they're pretty much 'contained'. A call or two to try and take the matter on in ways that will advance the work of God.

But even when a fire has been contained, it leaves behind terrain that has been blackened. Things are not the same. I'm aware of that. Not the same for any of those involved. And I feel that for myself as well. It leaves me feeling 'scunnered' with a mindset which seems sometimes like a wholly different planet from the mindset and the outlook and the freed-up, holy living of the Lord.

And I know which planet I'd rather be on!