Today’s #lentphotos is on ‘Quiet’:
#BigRead13 Thoughts
What a lovely quote today – what did everyone hear as the name of Aslan was spoken?:
And Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize that it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of Summer.
John 20:31 was chosen as the verse (and yes, I chose everything, but it was a while ago, so it’s like coming to all this new!) because of the idea of ‘living life to the full’, and schooltime summer holidays were certainly a chance to go out and enjoy the world (I was a farmgirl) … time for something different, exciting and fun… I like the way each child hears something different according to what their relationship is with Aslan (God!). This reminded me then of the Love Potion in Harry Potter, where each student smelt something different:
reminding each person of the things that they find most attractive, even if the person themselves doesn’t acknowledge or is unaware of their fondness for the object of their affection.
I think something along these lines must have triggered the prayer I also wrote:
Pray: We thank you that life with you can be ‘too lovely to put into words’, and that you are with us, even in incredibly difficult times.
Sometimes we can’t put things into words, so we describe with visuals, photos, scents of things we love. I’m curious to know what sensations/smells you might associate with God – a deep sense of relaxation, a sense that we’re not doing enough? If you want to think about the images of God that you carry about – check out this blog post by Kate Bruce – a lovely creative/visual exercise to see what God looks like for you…
And talking of names… I was christened Rebecca, my parents still call me that/introduce me to others as that. At University people said that was too long and shortened to Bex. My first publication was as Rebecca, then we decided everyone knows me as Bex so that’s where I’ll appear on everything bar official documents. And just remember, I have chosen my short form … and no Becky is not on the list!!
Brian Draper: Lent 40
A quote from the wonderful Angie Smith today, encouraging us to accept ourselves fully:
“There is someone I love, even though I don’t approve of what he does.
There is someone I accept, though some of his thoughts and actions revolt me.
There is someone I forgive, though he hurts the people I love the most.
“That person is me.”
This is something that, as Brian says, so many of us struggle with, although I’ve been working on aspects of this with life coaching, and working with FindMyStyle re body image stuff (so much more than just what you wear – finding out who you are and ensuring that what you wear is consistent with your authentic self, so you feel comfortable in it and can engage authentically!
@40Acts
Well, today we’re being encouraged to go to the pub. That’s OK, I can do that – going there for lunch shortly! Seriously, it’s about taking time to engage with your local community, and to look for expressions of church e.g. in the pub – in the environments that people are comfortable in, rather than expecting them to come into that unfamiliar building of the church.. I’ve just submitted an article on a similar topic, but with the idea that the digital spaces are spaces people are familiar with!
Others
I’ve also look at #Do1NiceThing, which calls for us to be calm drivers today (I’m not driving anywhere) – and I think I might be doing #notbusy on the train, although I have booked First Class in order to get a substantial amount of work done – so praying that the train disruptions today will still allow me to do that … I’m happy to sit on the train for an extra hour or 2 so long as I have seat/table/wifi/socket & food! National Rail still saying don’t travel if possible… but also says my train is running on time!
