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I was what we call a late vocation, and first served my time as an audio/electronics engineer back in the late 60's. What started out as a hobby (short wave communication) ended up a career; in those days we were just into transistor radios and I remember turning an old cassette tape machine into what we now know as a "Walkman", the head phones were large but hidden mostly by my long hair. How technology has moved, I am now listening to the same music on a 2Gbyte iPod and though I accept is now as the norm, it still amazes me that I can get all the Beatles songs on one small piece of equipment. I have also recently got a portable MP3 recorder so watch out for some Podcasts in the future.
Washing up this morning and looking out of the window, I had one of those moments; thinking about how technology has moved so fast, we can post information on the Internet and immediately it is being read all round the world - Wow!
It always got me thinking when I remember how we were taught, that when Jesus returns - everyone will know - My mind would often think how that could happen? Telephone, television or now the Internet; it seems more possible now than ever before. Don't worry, I am not going to get into a debate about the second coming; this is a subject that seems to consume so many people and in my mind distracts from our real work - to feed the hungry, heal the sick, visit those in prison and clothe the naked. But just so we are not too absorbed in how all this is going to happen, my thoughts came closer to home. It does seem that with those very close to us, we develop an ability to know how they are even if they are physically miles away; so when Christ returns and our link with him is so strong, it would not be surprising to know (inside) of his earthly presence.
My iPod was with me this weekend as I worked in the garden, we have to catch up with garden chores as work permits and weather dictates. The old shed was leaning dangerously to the right so I set to and propped it up straight with a stout piece of timber; funny how one job leads to another, the shed itself needs emptying before I can put the internal ties in and then we need to decide what goes back into the shed. Wouldn't it be easier if tasks were single and simple, I am sure I would get more done. Brother Cyril sat in the garden while I worked and read his book, looking up occasionally to say what a good job I was doing. We sat and had a cup of tea together and he remenissed about the garden he grew up in and how his young friends would come and build dens among the trees. I said he could build us a new shed! he just laughed and said "have we had tea"? I keep threatening to pull out the butterfly bush and make a little more room for the other small shrubs around it, but when I see the host of butterfly's that it brings me - it stays at least for another year - such beauty and so delicate.
Note to evening office: How can I value such beauty the world provides me?
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2 comments:
I believe Jesus is already a blogger. :)
I have been listening to Van Morrison's song Philosopher's Stone on a CD I have.....I don't own an i-pod, though everyone else in this family has one. I prefer to have the music filled the air around me.... anyways......... listening to the words in the song, I wondered just exactly how he was interpreting the term philosophers stone and came to the conclusion that his "search" in the song was for enlightenment....that if we find the philosopher's stone we will find enlightenment.
Then, I thought, well the ingreadients of the philosopher's stone is all around us. Its not some precious substance that we can turn into gold.... rather it is the beauty all around us which turns to gold when we acknowledge it. Consequently, our acknowledgement of the beauty we have all around us leads to enlightment.
Van Morrison is a great performer but has never been on my list of approved music (don't know why; I will try and get hold of a copy form the library and have a listen.
I do think you are right; I always have this sense I have lost something - looking for somthing that is lost or expecting something important to emarge that has all the answers I need. Usually (once a year) a travelling prophet arrives at the sea front in his converted bus and for the last 2-3 months I have found myself driving this route to the drop-in centre, expecting him to be there and as if he had something important to say.
Strange feelings and I am sure they are true but the answer is probably much simpler if we could be satisfied with it. Hope this makes some sense because even Brother Cyril would probably laugh at me.
Have a good weekend.
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