Nuts and Bolts

The new go-kart has proven popular with the grandchildren – even those who can’t yet reach the pedals – and the children of friends who are visiting. After some left last week, Don noticed a bolt and washer were missing from the steering mechanism, and the ‘nose’ had been scuffed. The first scratches are always the worst.

We needed to find the missing bolt. As I walked down the drive to collect the recycling barrel, I noticed something glinting in the sun. A tiny brass washer. No sign of a black plastic bolt nearby, but Don confirmed this washer was the missing one. So, after spending more time picking more cherries, I took a stroll down the drive again, this time actively engaging the help of God, who knows where everything is. I knew he could guide me to where the missing bolt might lay and sure enough, I saw it lying beneath the overhanging branches of a dog rose. I didn’t hear a voice; I didn’t feel anything supernatural, but I was somehow really aware that my helper was with me and guiding me.

I will never leave you, Jesus promised his disciples. He told the tale of the woman who lost a coin in her house and didn’t stop looking until it was found. He is a loving Lord who wants to find the lost. A plastic bolt doesn’t look like much, but in the long run it might greatly affect the operation of this toy. God knows the potential of every individual and sees the possibilities. With his help, we can partner with him to find and restore the lost.

White Elephant

Don drew open the bedroom curtains. I heard his sharp intake of breath and looked out.

A white elephant lay on its shoulder in the strawberry patch, dead legs stretched heavenwards. We’d been aware of the wild winds and the pounding rain the night before. Don had been into the attic with a tub to catch a persistent drip we heard slipping through a cracked slate on the roof. We’d unplugged computer, wifi, telephones, having been burned, literally, in previous years when thunder and lightning struck. We had taken precautions the night before.

But we’d forgotten the marquee. A tented shelter we use most summers when we have barbecues, usually to protect folk from the rains of a Scottish summer, but this year to provide some respite from the hot summer sun. Distracted by the other concerns, we’d forgotten it was still sitting, vulnerable, out in the wind and rain. We’d forgotten to anchor it to the ground with tent stakes. We thought it was secure. It looked secure. But it wasn’t.

Abide in me, Jesus advises. Sink your anchor deep into the love of God. Link your heart with his. Live in the shadow of his wings. Find shelter in the rock of ages. Tethered to God, no storms of life can tear away his protective, loving arms.

Storms hit us all. When the next one hits me, I will remember the sight of that upturned marquee in the garden, canvas impaled on one of the sturdy fence posts, reinforced apex split from the strain of a violent assault. Hollow, heavy steel poles reaching towards the skies, towering over us as we clambered through the strawberries releasing clips, unscrewing nuts and bolts. Everything about that marquee was sound, except its foundation. It sat precariously on the parched lawn, unanchored, ready to somersault into disaster when the strong winds rose.

It’s no good anchoring the marquee in the midst of high winds though. The stakes needed to be hammered in before the storm hit. Day by day, living in the presence of the Lord, reading his word, praising and worshipping, I am pounding in those stakes. I want to be ready.

Video off, Vision down

We scheduled the Skype call, always necessary to do when there are eight hours between us. A few minutes early, I turned Skype on and realised that the video call was not enabled. It was not possible on my laptop, which had updated a couple of days earlier. Something on the device has been altered so that it no longer has the ability to see the person to whom I want to talk.

Life serves us updates constantly. Things happen which alter our perspective, which can narrow our view and can even blind us. Maybe our experiences and hurts become so big in our own eyes that our shadow blots out an ability or even a desire to have a better understanding of other people. Maybe a trauma leaves a beam in our own eye.

Jesus talked about relationship blindness, where we become so focused on the splinters in other people’s eyes that we are unaware of the 2x4 beam in our own. Kindness and compassion fall victim to self-awareness. We retreat into ourselves and our spiritual eye of understanding is no longer enabled. It may happen gradually or all of a sudden. A series of downloads and updates or just one major event.

Jesus can take us back and restore our vision. Just as I believe it is possible to go back to a historical setting in a computer, to restore what it used to be, so Jesus can take us back to basics with him and restore our default settings: we were created in the image of God. That is our default setting, and God never stops loving, never stops forgiving, never stops giving us the benefit of the doubt. He is always kind.

Through the power of his Holy Spirit living in me, leaning heavily on Jesus, I can do the same.

Geens

Geens. The cherry trees we planted 36 years ago are having a bumper season. Jam. Cakes. Pie?

These lovely sweet cherries are small, though, and as I sat for an hour today removing each pit with a straw, (the bespoke cherry pitter which I ordered won’t arrive probably until the harvest is over!), I noticed how neatly and cleanly this rudimentary method popped out each pit, leaving no heart in the sweet cherries.

I’d been thinking about refugees. I’m still praying for those families broken apart at the US / Mexico border. For those babies who may never again see their mothers, their dads. For those anguished parents only seeking asylum, safety, who instead were met with cruelty and humiliation. In a very rudimentary way, their hearts were popped out, leaving them bereft and hollow.

My forebears were immigrants to the USA. Not refugees as such, but honest people looking for a safe home, for new horizons. They were welcomed in by others who had done the same thing. Welcomed in, not shut out.

God will never crush a bruised reed, he promises in Psalms. I think of the amazing love of the father of the prodigal son, eye on the horizon continually, looking for his wayward son. No wall greeted the returning prodigal. No hard heart. No closed door. No violence and separation. Only open arms and unconditional love.

The Lord is close to the broken hearted. May he be close to all those bereft of mummies, daddies and children as a result of an evil policy enacted by a heartless, selfish individual. Lord, have mercy.

Bittersweet Bastille Day

July 14. Bastille Day.

I started the day joining the protest at Trump’s Aberdeen golf course. It was sedate and small but we were all passionate. I’ve not participated in a protest since university days, when then Governor Ronald Reagan was visiting my CA university at the time he was making severe cuts in budgeting because of the student unrest over the Vietnam war.

Thirty-two years ago today, my dear sister Judy went home to Jesus. She would have joined me in that protest today. She was a fire-brand, principled and compassionate. Rarely a day goes by that I don’t miss her. When someone you love passes on, part of you passes on too.

Judy was a Francophile, so Bastille Day was a fitting day for her to be set free from the prison of her cancer-ridden body, set free into the loving arms of Jesus. God is good, even when things are bad and it hurts so much.

Jesus said that in his Father’s house were many mansions. So grateful that loved ones are experiencing the joy already.

Praying that God’s forgiveness and grace will touch President Trump and he will be changed; He turned Paul around on the Damascus road – anything is possible with God.

Happy Bastille Day.

The Beach

What a fabulous day on the Moray coast with Flick and Greg! There is something so precious about being allowed to share in some of the innocent delight of a child discovering the beauties of God’s world. After jumping wildly over the waves as they lapped the shore, multiple times, Flick wanted to walk out to the boat moored off the coast, not realising that actually, the water there would be well over our heads. New horizons. New understandings.

We are all spiritual babies/toddlers/teenagers … maybe a few have reached their middle age spiritually but most of us are just waking up to the beauties of the supernatural world in which we live. Our naivete and innocence as we explore spirituality with Jesus must warm his heart. No wonder our Father longs to take us deeper into him, where he can laugh with us as we discover new horizons spiritually, as our understanding expands and our love grows.

We count ourselves blessed to have the health and strength and resources to enjoy the special grandchildren with whom we have been entrusted. Can’t wait to take Callan and Eliott to the beach, too.

The Geens are Ready

The geens are ready. Wild Scottish cherries. We’ve got trees all over the property and it’s always a race to see if we can harvest any before the pigeons commence their military-precision stripping of the trees!

A few years ago, we got enough to make a couple jars of the most delicious jam. It took two of us to skim because there is more stone than flesh on each cherry, but it was so so delicious.

Jesus said to be alert and to watch what’s going on around us. We’ve been watching those cherries and also further afield, though things aren’t so straightforward there. It is hard to understand exactly what is going on in the wider political world just now.

Even more reason to keep our eyes on Jesus while staying aware of current events. And staying on our knees. We want to get the cherries before the pigeons do.

Eternal Peace

Great weather is a great distraction, in every sense of that. With weeks of sunshine sans showers, our grass is brown and most of our usually-overgrown flower beds are weed-free. A new playhouse has been constructed and stands proudly in the corner of the garden having been inaugurated by happy grandchildren last week. We’ve been working hard in the sun but having fun in it too.

Meanwhile, more sedentary work has been ignored. Today, with a grey sky overhead and cooler temps, I plan to shift my attention, but feel slightly panicky that there is so much to do. Where do I begin? There is even more to do than I thought.

Jesus went to the cross focused on ‘the joy set before him’, not the pain of the cross. Not that I am facing a cross, but I pray that my focus today is on God, and that my perspective is eternal and not imminent.

Peace. Eternal peace.

The Joy of Children

‘For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.’ Because he is a good, good God, his plans are great.

Looking back through old photos last night. Reliving the years of joy from raising four beautiful kids. The fun of pirate parties. The thrill of West Coast sails… The summers at Tarbert. The Christmas mornings and the new babies, puppies, kittens.

It went by so fast. In a blur. We took one step at a time, living day by day, and all the time, God knew the plans he had for these four wonderful babies he’d entrusted to us. Praise him that he was always there, during good times and challenging ones, and that despite us, and because of him, these kids grew up to be world-changers.

Such a privilege to raise children.

And now we have the fun of interacting with their children. Feeling like we have more time to be intentional in how we interact, and perhaps more of a positive influence. And yet, knowing that our clumsy efforts and words can often get in the way of something better.

Still grateful that God knows the plans he has for these little ones. That they are destined to be world-changers. Such a privilege to be their grandparents. Such a joy.

Your Kingdom Come

The wonders of technology! A sweet friend sent me an animated e-card for the 4^th of July. As the fireflies swirl round an iconic American farmhouse, red/white/blue flags and decorations appear on the porch. The fireflies move on to a pastoral scene and then to a southern style mansion, with more bunting, more flags, and now people waving and cheering as fireworks explode overhead.

I’ve felt patriotic in a heart-broken way of late, grieving for the USA I knew as a child, which I now see I saw only in part.

Only God is holy. Only God is perfect. May his kingdom come, his will be done on earth – the whole earth – as it is in heaven. Amen.

Lost

‘Have you seen my tape measure?’

No. But in a few minutes I’d located it, right where he was working. He couldn’t see the forest for the trees.

Yesterday it was his glasses. I found them in the strawberry patch. Well, now I know what happened to some of those beautiful berries…

Jesus tells a story of a woman who lost one of her precious coins, and she tore the house apart until she found it. He tells a story of a lost sheep, and the shepherd who wouldn’t rest until he’d found her. And the story of the lost son, who strayed into a dissolute life but who his father never stopped looking for. When he saw the son on the horizon, headed home, he ran to embrace and celebrate his return.

None of us is so lost that Jesus can’t find us.

A barb in the blessing?

Loving the sun. Bring it on! Blazing out of a clear blue sky, day after day, week after week, into our second month.

There was a flash of rain a couple weeks back. Overnight. All soaked up and gone, now. Well, we sprinkle the rasps and strawberries, lettuce and roses and tatties and kale, with water every day, a pleasant enough task given the ease of a hose connected to the mains, and no water shortage.

However.

On our walk this morning, Mary and I ran into the farmer. He and his son were considering the cattle in the field. The field of stunted grass which isn’t growing. He looked across at the field of silage, the field of silage which isn’t growing. And together they were wondering what to do.

Some farmers are taking the cattle indoors and buying in food to fatten them up quickly. Maybe, our farmer thought, maybe we’ll need to bring in some of the young ones and do that.

Is there a barb in every blessing?

Perhaps I should start praying for an overnight shower tonight…