i-f zones and mixed up beliefs

Four weeks away in an 'internet-free zone' is almost certainly good for the soul.

Lousy for communication, I grant you. Hopeless in terms of keeping in touch with people.

Yet despite all that, good for the soul. Maybe even because of that.

Like the six and a bit weeks that Jesus spent out in the wilderness. Which was pretty much the equivalent for him of an IFZ. Incommunicado.

I feel the better for it, whatever. The mind having time for a good 'spring-clean'. The heart getting space for refreshment.

Refreshed, re-fired, re-focussed. Sort of raring to go once again, with a burden impressed on my heart from the Lord as to all that he's wanting to say. And do. And have us do with him.

Today, though, it's been pretty much a case of hitting the ground running. First day back and a funeral service here in the church to conduct.

It was all pretty much arranged in advance (at least in terms of the choice of music and praise).

So I found the way it ended quite a graphic sort of picture of the mixed-up, strange confusion that I think there is in most folk's minds today.

The closing hymn was 'Be thou my vision..'. With line after line going on about heaven.

Raise thou me heaven-ward .. High king of heaven, my treasure thou art .. High king of heaven, after victory won, may I reach heaven's joys, O bright heaven's Sun..'

And so on. Heaven, heaven, heaven.

And then straight after that we had the opening lines of the John Lennon song, 'Imagine'.

'Imagine there's no heaven...'!

It seemed so strange and paradoxical. And yet it seemed to me as well so thoroughly expressive of the ignorance and inner contradictions that there are within society today.

A mixed-up, messed-up world which sometimes wants to believe; yet half the time chooses not to believe as well.