"walking with Father" has moved

A reminder that I have moved "walking with Father" to WordPress and combined it with my other blog.
You will find it on Senior Eagle walking with Father and look forward to meeting you there.

Important: Blogger readers may find it helpful to update the 'Following' list on their dashboard with my new WordPress URL, as I will be deleting this Blogger blog very soon.

So click on Senior Eagle walking with Father where you will find a welcome.

Wayfarerjon

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Mind the Gap

For the Christian there is always a gap, a disparity between who we are now and the unique person Father God has made us to be. There's a gap between what God has made possible and how we actually behave. But He longs for us to enter in and is committed to closing that Gap, as we walk with Him.

Following Jesus is the simplest thing we can do, but it's not easy and I begin to wonder when someone tells me otherwise. For some, their journey appears to be smooth and effortless, some get diverted and opt for the status quo, but others find at times they are treading a hard rocky path. I fit more readily into the latter category, so it's no surprise that I feel for such people and often write with them in mind.

Dealing with events or situations that God has allowed to help us grow and move us on, can be a blood-sweat-and-tears struggle. So it's helpful to share with others something of our walk, including the difficulties and vulnerabilities we experience along the way. I have found when someone has dared to be real like this, it's like a breath of fresh air. There's a connecting and identifying and a realisation that humanly ‘I'm not alone in this’ or 'I'm not abnormal!' This is why I try to write honestly and personally, but at the same time looking to Jesus.

I can look back rejoicing that God has always brought me through the trials, often in amazing ways. At the time I felt the devastation, helplessness and desperation, but giving up was never an option, it was unthinkable. It was God who did it, but now and again He used others to encourage just when needed. Then there were the others -.

At a time when I had been diagnosed with a chronic illness and my world seemed to be falling apart, I met someone with a terminal illness. He said that as soon as he was told he immediately surrendered it all to God and that was it. I was impressed, but it didn't help me. I needed to hear something of the process he went through to get to that point. Another Christian slapped me on the back and said, ‘count it all joy’ brother. Biblical truth, but there was no ‘connecting’ or identifying and it left me thinking that he couldn't cope with the situation and had to keep his distance.

I heard a ‘testimony’ from someone going through divorce proceedings, who announced that he had the victory in it, God was in control and he was at peace. His quivering lips showed me that was his hope, but it wasn't yet true in his experience. It would have been more helpful - and he would have carried more listeners with him - if he had dared take the risk to say where he was really at. It’s not a lack of faith to admit our weakness.

I'm still learning.

"Blessed are they who know their need of God, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3 (my paraphrase)

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Pen of a Ready Writer

My wife and I have been invited to a special birthday celebration for the wife of a couple that were very much a part of our Christian walk 10 to 15 years ago. They asked us if possible to bring a photograph of us taken at the time when we first met.. In a search for the dates I reached for one of my old prayer journals.

I kept a very full journal in those days and as I read I became engrossed in all the detail. It spoke of struggles and stumbling and of lots of Christian activity. There was also a common thread running all the way through, of being drawn into intimacy with Father.

This led me on to considering where I am with the Lord now, after all those years. I was both encouraged and challenged.

I have ‘moved on’ since then and am more surrendered and settled inside, with less hang-ups, but still aware of some of the old persistent weaknesses lurking at times. In other words I am more aware of who I am and free to be me. The old difficulties are in the past; I’ve just got a whole load different ones and more so. This means I am much more reliant on Jesus than ever. The challenge is greater. But this is the main difference - He means more to me now than ever, He is all I need.

I just want to be wholly available to Him and be the ‘pen of a Ready Writer.’

It does help to look back with Father now and again and consider and take stock.

Where are you now?

"My tongue will be the pen of a ready writer
And what the Father gives to me I'll sing
I only want to be His breath
I only want to glorify the King"
from “I Hear the Sound of Rustling”
by Ronnie Wilson

“My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Psalm 45:1

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Your Move!

When a fellow high school student taught me to play chess, I became really attracted to this 'king of games' with all it's infinite variations. I think I lacked the necessary enduring concentration to be really good, but the fascination continued into adulthood. I even played in a tournament once, where I was soundly thrashed by an eleven year old.

I sometimes think that the Christian life is like a game of chess.

The basic requirement is to have a knowledge of the function of each piece and the unique way it moves. It may seem complicated at first, but it soon becomes second nature. Before each game you need a strategy. You need to know where you are going, but at the same time be flexible and be prepared for surprises.

A good opening game is vital, this is where games can be won or lost. The way has to be opened up for the attacking pieces to have full access to the board, at the same time ensuring that your king is secure and protected. At this stage, your opponent may try to catch you unawares with some early attacking moves. So think very carefully before you make a move and have no fear, his premature moves will usually have no substance, so hold your ground.

Now we come to the middle game. It’s no good just staying on the defensive, doing nothing is not an option, as this is not a passive game. Wait for the appropriate time to go on the attack and seize the opportunity. You may feel vulnerable as you step out and wonder if there is something you have missed, but don't be put off. Be bold and have the conviction of what you know.

I used to have a good opening game, my middle game was - err middling and my end game often not so good. Nowadays I am learning perseverance and patience. You don't win them all - think about it, there would be no ‘game’ if you won every time - but you learn from your mistakes for next time.

“If a king goes out with ten thousand men to fight another king who comes against him with twenty thousand men, he will sit down first and decide if he is strong enough to face that other king.” Luke 14:31 Good News Bible

“Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12 The Message Bible

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God's Creation In Our Lives

Our garden is semi-wild, with views of countryside and sea and is a real delight to us. It's not always been that way though. When we first arrived we had to work long and hard to construct terraces and plant it out. However, because it is steep and takes the brunt of the salt-laden south westerlies from the Atlantic, it's a hostile environment and many of the plants didn't survive.

Not to be put off, I cleared one of the largest beds and started over again. First of all I weeded it thoroughly before preparing the soil by digging deep and raking it over. Because the winter was much wetter than usual, I wasn't able to do any more to it until spring. It was then that we found a variety of plants shooting up. Intrigued, we decided to wait and see what developed. Several weeks later we had a splendid display of unusual wild flowers, some of which we had never seen or even heard of before. Majestic foxgloves, tall fluffy Mullein Verbascum thapsus Scrophulariaceae, the delicate Solomon's SealPolygonatum officinale Liliaceae, wild strawberries and of course primroses.

The seeds had been there all the time, waiting for the right moment. Just think, all that was created without us having to do anything, other than prepare the soil! God knew better than us what would thrive in the environment of our garden.

God is the great Creator. If we are yielded to God and allow Him to cleanse and prepare the soil of our lives, we will experience His working in our lives in ways that we never thought possible and with the minimum of effort and stress.

"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him." Colossians 1:16 New International Version

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Praise Ye The Lord!

We can learn so much from children. One of our little granddaughters came up to me the other day and said "I love you Grandad." The next day when I came down for breakfast the other said, "You do look handsome!" It warmed me and I responded in kind. All this is natural I'm sure, but it made me think about the subject of praise and I offer these very random thoughts.

The word 'praise' appears nearly 300 times in the Bible, mostly urging or inviting us to praise God. It's also written into the liturgies of our historic churches. I remember attending services where the minister announced, "Praise ye the Lord" and the congregation's ragged monotone response came, "The Lord's name be praised!" You could be forgiven for thinking it was the milkman being welcomed. On the other extreme we have been in meetings where the response came in the form of a spontaneous personal outburst of cheering and tumultuous applause, for an awesome and loving God.

But what about praise in our personal walk with God?

I've often held back through a fear of pretending, because I wanted my praise to be an honest heart response. But sometimes I just speak out what I know to be true. Sometimes I've felt my love didn't amount to much, but offered God what I saw as my puny capacity to love. After all I was only giving back to Him what He had given me. We are instructed to praise God in all things. But when my wife was carted off to hospital with a broken leg and arm and goodness knows what else, I didn't thank God for what was happening because that just wouldn't have been honest. But I did thank Him in faith - and desperation - that He was with us in the situation and would see us through. And He did, in an amazing way!

Once, during a lunch break at work, I met with a colleague in a small room, just to share and pray. We didn't know how to start, but made seemingly childlike offerings. Almost immediately we experienced a great warmth spreading through us. So much so, that we felt we ought to open the window to cool things off, until we realised what was happening. We just knew He was with us and what followed was a precious time of sharing.

Praise changes things. When we acknowledge God, express our appreciation, make a heart response to His love, things happen in the spiritual realm. We enter into a realisation of His presence, all enemy opposition is demolished, Father God is warmed, we are encouraged, our faith is built up and power is released. Perhaps we should do it more often?

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5 New International Version

"Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in." Psalm 24:7 New International Version

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Our Reaction to Pain

There was a small boy who was given a bike for his birthday. Just what he had hoped for. He practised at home before venturing out and kept falling off at first. He was impatient to show it to his friends, so off he went. They all inspected it and gave it the thumbs up. He felt so proud because he was now one of them. It was alright at first, but then he lost control and fell off, badly scraping his knee. It hurt, but what really hurt was that they laughed at him and taunted him. When he got home he kept quiet about it and put some sticking plaster over the wound.

For several days he didn't use his bike or play with the boys, because he didn't want to get hurt again. His knee was painful, so he put more plaster on it and tried to forget about it. The trouble was, it got so inflamed he realised it had to be seen to. In trepidation he asked his father to see to it. He thought he would be told off, but instead, he put him on his knee, gently removed the plaster and bathed it clean, removing any grit and dirt. He then placed some special ointment on it. He felt better already. His father seemed to understand what it was all about and reassured him that it would take a while to learn to ride it properly and he would help him. "Just you wait until you show the other boys!" he said.

Isn't this how it can be for many of us, where there is pain just below the surface. Some of us may even have a well of pain deep down that goes back a long way. We may not have been hurt physically, but may have been abused emotionally in some way, words of condemnation may have been spoken over us perhaps.

If it stays hidden it can begin to spread and fester and affect our lives in a disabling way. It can also lead us into unresolved anger or unhelpful behaviour patterns in trying to maintain the status quo. It stops us living to the full and reaching our potential. There comes a time when we know it has to be seen to.

Our heavenly Father is just waiting for us to bring it out for Him to look at. He will then put us on His knee and bathe the wound, remove the impurities and make it better. He will also give us words of encouragement to move forward.

"My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom." Song of Songs 2:14 New International Version

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The Gentle Potter

I enjoy painting in oils or pastels, but I had never tried working with clay until the day we attended a creative workshop. We were asked to join an activity that was completely new to us. I was given a lump of clay with the suggestion that I model anything that for me, represented God. I looked at this inert lump and froze inside. I stared without inspiration for ages until the time nearly ran out. In desperation I grabbed it, broke it into two pieces and almost without thinking, shaped it in a childlike fashion. From start to finish it only took a few minutes.

When I stopped to look at the completed product I gasped and was touched to the core. It may have been rough and ready, but the two figures seemed alive. A small child sitting on Father's knee. The child was looking up into the Father's eyes in absolute trust as Father held him. The embrace was so open and gentle that the child was free to move or even get off. That model represented how and where I wanted to be with God and He wanted that even more than me.

In some ways we are like the clay. But instead of being totally passive, we need to cooperate and yield into the gentle hands of the Master Potter. God accepts us just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us where we are. He sees the masks we wear and the games we play, that cover up the desires deep within our hearts. He longs for us to be our real selves, as He made us to be. When we first realise the pretense that we live and become broken inside, it hurts. But as we stop resisting and surrender to Father, we become more pliable in His hands and get used to His touch.

How we are going to turn out, we can leave to Him. Except we can be sure, that as we keep our eyes on Father, He will reshape us into something beautiful!

"Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." Jeremiah 18:6 (b) New International Version

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The Master Builder

I'm quite handy, so when we needed to alter the lighting in our living room, I decided to do it myself.

I climbed into the loft and checked out the circuits to make sure I knew what was what. Everything seemed to be going fine, except that there was more to it than I expected and I was running late. When I came to switch the power back on the fuse blew, so I double checked. The fuse blew again. I mulled over what I had done and could see nothing wrong. I kept going through it over and over in my mind, until I couldn't switch off - pardon the pun. In the end, feeling washed out, I had to leave it, without lights in part of the house.

I called an electrician the next morning and amazingly, he came in under two hours. He checked everything through and said there was nothing wrong, I'd done a good job. However, further investigation discovered a completely unrelated coincidental problem, that he put right.

Now all this may seem unimportant, but I had something to learn, because God is into small things. It wasn’t the fact I had done it wrong, but I had not done it God’s way. I may be able to do a variety of things, but God made me for a specific purpose. That evening we had a very important 'God-arranged' appointment and that was my top priority. In the event everything went fine, but only just!

I used to quote this verse "If the Lord builds the house - " thinking that so long as you are a Christian that's all that's needed. But of course it has to be worked out, we have to walk the walk. If we put God first in complete surrender, so that He is in control of our marriages, families and relationships, then we open ourselves to His magnificent efficient provision, otherwise we wear ourselves out to no avail.

It's the same in church life. Some years ago mission events and activities had been held in our area. Although they were well organised and had been successful on other cities, they were not working for us. They were not bearing fruit. Several of us met in prayer to seek what God had to say about it. The reply came loud and clear, that God was not in our good ideas:

"You have worn yourselves out doing it your way, now let it all go and try My way!"

"Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labour in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat — for he grants sleep to those he loves." Psalm 127:1-2 New International Version

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The Husband's Challenge!

Getting married was the best thing I ever did. It has brought real fulfilment and happiness, but of course it hasn't all been married bliss. I didn't expect it to bring to the surface all my inadequacies, failings and above all my own emotional wounds. At times it has seemed more like a battlefield and it was only Jesus who has brought us through so far. I can now honestly say, that after so many years, we are closer together than ever.

So why the other day, did we suddenly have a such wordy confrontation, a spat, mini-row or whatever you may call it? I couldn't remember the last time that happened! What my wife said hurt me and I reacted strongly with words I regret. I was holding a chair at the time and just for a split second I could have thrown it across the room. For an hour or so I reverted to my old behaviour pattern and retreated to my den to nurse my hurt. The temporary rift was so painful, I just wanted to blank out the feelings.

Of course I know that attitude just doesn't work and anyway, I was not going to let the enemy have his way. I brought out the feelings with Father and worked them through with Him, before going to find my wife. We both knew that we hadn't spoken to hurt one another, but were speaking out of our own pain and frustration at the time, through tiredness and illness. We talked it through, listened to one another and forgave. That felt so good!

I once asked my wife what she looked for in a husband. The qualities didn't come as a surprise; courage, boldness, kindness, honesty and romance were just a few. But her answers and what I have gleaned from other women, lead me to the conclusion that the two qualities a Christian wife values above all others is submission and intimacy.

I believe a wife feels secure and close with a husband who is walking with God in surrender and obedience to Him and also is in touch with his own feelings and thoughts, which he will openly share with her and listen to hers. I know there's a lot more than that, but I go back to these two things time and again.

Getting to know God, getting to know ourselves, getting to know our wives -- getting there!

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up - In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. - For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." Ephesians 5:25-31 New International Version

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Tradition or Life?

A friend of ours has constructed what she calls an Easter Garden on a terrace at the top of her steep garden. For several years we have gathered there before breakfast on Easter Sunday, for the breaking of bread, to celebrate the Risen Lord Jesus. Last year particularly, was an unforgettable experience. As we prayed and sang, the sun rose above the trees across the valley and the birds sang their hearts out. We planned to do the same this year.

We were mindful that Easter falls very early this year and half the country is in the grips of snow-laden northerlies. Nevertheless we believed it was right to go and trusted it would work out. After all, God can look after a mere detail like the weather? We woke early - and I mean early - to the encouragement of a clear sky and still air. Dressed in layers of thermal clothing and fleeces we set out, but as we drove up the hill the sky suddenly darkened and the rain came down in torrents. It was even worse when we arrived, so reluctantly we had to abandon our plan. Instead, around twenty of us squeezed inside our friend's cottage sitting room.

What followed was precious and intimate. We made our communion which was followed by breakfast together and a time of sharing what God is doing in our lives. We missed the surroundings of the garden of course, but instead we experienced what really matters, abiding in the presence of Jesus. we were blessed in a way that we didn't expect.

This reminds me of the dangers of following tradition. Tradition can be saying, "This is the way we have always done things and always will," even when God has moved on to something new. There is nothing wrong with tradition as such, but if that is all there is, then it is death and not life. Jesus always did what He saw His Father doing and so should we, if we don't want to miss out.

"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" Matthew 15:2 New International Version

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Our Inner Security

Our upside-down house - we live upstairs and sleep downstairs - is perched on a hillside overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and is about 200 yards from the beach. You may think it's an idyllic location and in many ways it is, but when the south westerlies blow, your perspective changes.

Three days ago, we were warned that the worst storm of the winter was imminent and all emergency services were put on alert. Later that evening, as the winds became more intense and howled down the chimney and our large living room window began to flex, I felt just a little vulnerable, if not anxious. We could have been on the deck of a small ship in a stormy sea. It's times like this, especially in the night, when anxieties can surface and hook into all sorts of fears. I sensed this and before going to bed, tried to put everything into God's hands the best I could. I particularly asked for protection for all the homes in our valley. After this, I felt a peace and contentment and surprisingly - and I say that because I'm a light sleeper - I slept like a baby through all the mayhem outside.

Next morning everything was intact, except some fencing had blown down and there was tree debris scattered all around. We turned on the news to see reports of flooding and storm damage and gave thanks that we had got off so lightly. We then had to drive the twenty miles into town and despite the main route into the village being under water and impassable and several large tree branches were partly blocking the other road, we made the journey without incident.

All this reminded me that many things we have taken for granted and even put our security into are being shaken. It's not just the weather and global warming, but the environment, food and fuel supplies and our financial institutions. Without getting into a theological discussion who is doing the shaking, all the signs seem to point to the fact that we are in for a hard time. It is clear the only thing we can be sure of, is to build our sure foundations on God. By that I don't mean just a mental assent to what we are told in the Bible, but a deep heart-knowledge of the Father's love as we surrender to Him. This is free, but is not handed to us on a plate. We need to want it.

"Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire" Hebrews 12:26-29 New International Version

"Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:38-40 New International Version

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Shaky start - Brilliant ending

“You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.” (Proverbs 16:9 GNB)

We were both in recovery, my wife from an operation and myself from fatigue, and decided we needed a break. We chose Guernsey, an island several miles from Jersey at the mouth of the English Channel and close to France. We planned the journey to be as easy as possible. We were to be driven to our local airport and would be in the comfort of the hotel for late afternoon tea. We felt a peace in our hearts about our little adventure.

Everything went according to plan, until we approached Guernsey. The pilot announced it was too foggy to land, so he took us on to Jersey. He left us on the tarmac to make our own way to Guernsey by boat. We weren’t sure how and when we were going to get to our destination, but made our way to the ferry terminal. With several hundred other hopefuls milling around us, I just surrendered the whole thing to God.

We eventually arrived at our hotel just before midnight. Every little detail that had concerned me had worked out, from the unscheduled ferry, to the car rental girl bringing the car to the dock on a hunch. What followed was an unforgettable holiday.

This simple example serves to remind me that however prayerfully and carefully we make our plans, God sees the whole picture. Provided we surrender to Him, He will direct every little detail to our eventual benefit.

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