The light at the end of the tunnel...
...is not an oncoming train!
After six weeks of funerals, many of them from one village, it looks as though things are starting to even out again! All the other things, services, visiting, prayers, sermons, talks etc etc have carried on as well as a lot of bereavement care and a lot of time planning and leading these goodbyes so I simply haven't had time, or indeed energy, to put into blogging. Thanks for the ongoing comments and messages, they have been much valued, hopefully now I can get back to some semblance of normality.
Many other significant things have happened over the past few weeks. My wife has stopped her paid employment (though she works as hard as ever, she's just not paid for it at home). My son reached his third birthday pretty much intact, except for a chipped tooth due to a run in with a vacuum cleaner wielded by his enthusiastic older sister in a moment of trying to help with the cleaning. With all the busy-ness that has gone on I have not been writing either on my blog or personally, nor have i spent as much time reading and reflecting as I would have liked. Though i have had a few events, including the Men's group for which I posted a talk a week or two ago, which have been significant in the response which they have generated, and in which I have invested quite a lot of emotional and spiritual energy.
I find in many ways I am more excited about my faith and my relationship with Christ than I have been for years. In the midst of trying to do so much I have felt much more that I have relied less and less on my own strength and been willing to turn much more to God! Now this is something that every Christian should do all of the time, but perhaps it is only when we have to that we actually make that conscious effort to allow God to work with us.
This journey of faith isn't an easy one, but my experience is that it is so much more rewarding if we share it with others, and we recognise that Christ is our constant companion on the road.
After six weeks of funerals, many of them from one village, it looks as though things are starting to even out again! All the other things, services, visiting, prayers, sermons, talks etc etc have carried on as well as a lot of bereavement care and a lot of time planning and leading these goodbyes so I simply haven't had time, or indeed energy, to put into blogging. Thanks for the ongoing comments and messages, they have been much valued, hopefully now I can get back to some semblance of normality.
Many other significant things have happened over the past few weeks. My wife has stopped her paid employment (though she works as hard as ever, she's just not paid for it at home). My son reached his third birthday pretty much intact, except for a chipped tooth due to a run in with a vacuum cleaner wielded by his enthusiastic older sister in a moment of trying to help with the cleaning. With all the busy-ness that has gone on I have not been writing either on my blog or personally, nor have i spent as much time reading and reflecting as I would have liked. Though i have had a few events, including the Men's group for which I posted a talk a week or two ago, which have been significant in the response which they have generated, and in which I have invested quite a lot of emotional and spiritual energy.
I find in many ways I am more excited about my faith and my relationship with Christ than I have been for years. In the midst of trying to do so much I have felt much more that I have relied less and less on my own strength and been willing to turn much more to God! Now this is something that every Christian should do all of the time, but perhaps it is only when we have to that we actually make that conscious effort to allow God to work with us.
This journey of faith isn't an easy one, but my experience is that it is so much more rewarding if we share it with others, and we recognise that Christ is our constant companion on the road.
Comments
I am constantly grateful that he shows up because I oh-so know that I don't deserve it!