Hastings 1066

Its nice to be back; Hastings, Bexhill and Battle. A lovely break meeting friends old and new. This was a part working holiday with a retreat at Ashburnham Place. Time away is often an opportunity to take stock and look forward, a time away from the routine and busyness; the distractions that prevent forward thinking.

The challenge now of course

is to follow it through.

John 1:12

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

The Dawn

Note to evening office:

Stop searching David; and let the discoveries dawn upon you.

Fathers Day

Father of all,
we give you thanks and praise,
that when we were still far off
you met us in your Son and brought us home.

Early in the morning

Monday the 14th and an early walk to meet the sun.

Holy Holy Holy, Lord God almighty, early in the morning our song shall rise to thee….

All thy works shall praise Thy name in earth and sky and sea.

Saltburn by the Sea.

Note to morning office: May I rise to the newness of each day.

3rd South Bank St Peters

Bluebird 

Back in 1966 a young boy was part of a scout group near Middlesbrough; they were due to put on (what I believe) was their first and only Gang Show. Much practising went into the production and help was drafted in from the area. I still have the programme somewhere and must find it out. The rendition above of Bluebird has yours truly somewhere in there; nobody seemed to worry too much about staying in tune.

Now I have found the programme, I can see it was May 1966 and a celebration of their 40 years. Someone had the foresight to set up - what was - even then an old spool tape recorder. Being a bit of a techno... and having the original tape in our family, I did a conversion to modern cassette tape. I now find myself years later converting it all to Mp3.

 

Back in 1930, my fathers scout master was Leo Atkinson and mine in 1966 was

Derek Maughn (Skip). Happy days.

Note to evening office: Taps -

Day is done, gone the sun,

from the hills, from the lake from the sky.

All is well, safely rest,

God is nigh.

A Change Reaction

 

Change comes as a reaction to a situation, others, emotion, nature or an internal thought.

Most of the time we talk about our reaction to change but the opposite is true; change comes from reaction.

I sometimes think, that putting it this way round, helps me deal better with change.

Permanence

There is a certain quiet that envelopes us when we stand and become aware of the things that don’t move. I am thinking now of the mountains, trees, dry-stone walls, valleys and rivers.

It instils a sense of security and knowledge that we journey only a short distance.

We look for stability in our lives and remembrance is an important process: anchoring to places, scenery, structure – things that do not move. I recognise the feeling while I stand and gaze; and begin to see what it is I am looking at.

Mid-day office: 

Let nothing disturb thee, nothing affright thee;
all things are passing, God never changeth!
Patient endurance attaineth to all things;
who God possesseth in nothing is wanting;
alone God sufficeth.