28th June

I’ve quite enjoyed today… despite waking up around 4.30am and resorting to Suduko and then my Kindle before managing another hours sleep. And also this morning was a bit of a sob story as well as I decided I really, really am missing Jane so much it’s almost painful, which of itself is not wrong. So anyway it really has been a good day. This morning I made the ‘oh so very lonely’ journey to Loughborough with tears in my eyes all the way there. But aren’t children or should I say grand-children wonderful… it took my grandson maybe a couple of minutes to get me crawling around on the floor drawing around chubby little fingers on his paper and then high-fiving my way into grabbing a cup of coffee.

And then came the more intellectual stimulation as dad came home for his lunch-break and we sought to out-do one another with extolling the virtues and validity of a broad spectrum of churches… I reckon we need almost as many styles of worship and structure in the local church as there are differences in people. We all need a place where we feel at home be it with the incense swinging liturgy of high church or the happy-clappy pogo dancing charismatics or more likely somewhere in between the two extremes. Is it Christ centred should be the only question.

 This evening I went to my church home group and quite enjoyed myself. It was so very relaxed and peaceful and left me feeling quite good. What did strike me during the evening’s discussion was how much the Lord is really the answer to every problem we face. Whatever situation we find ourselves in, whether we are overworked or out of work, suffering ill health or bursting with energy, fighting poverty or needing investment advice, surrounded by friends or isolated in loneliness… we need to keep our eyes upon the Lord, seek his face and honour his word.

Hebrews 12:1-2 ‘And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne.’ (NLT)