A community is....

"A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other's lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves."

— Wendell Berry

tired hands at the end of the day...

"There is no menial work. Jesus came not as a philosopher, not as a general. He came as a carpenter." -Tim Keller

I sometimes think that Jesus most likely had tired hands at the end of a day of work. I love this thought - that somehow the idea that he knows what that feels like...

2 prayers for my life in the physio world this year -

"May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us--yes, establish the work of our hands." Ps 90:17

and

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee. Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.

a poem for the new year

We travelers, walking to the sun, can't see
Ahead, but looking back the very light
that blinded us shows us the way we came,
Along which blessings now appear, risen
As from sightlessness to sight, and we,
by blessing brightly lit, keep going toward
That blessed light that yet to us is dark.
-Wendell Berry
Given - New Poems 2005

work & dreams

It’s transition time again! I’m starting a physio job (temporary!) soon so I’m finishing in the wee nursing home I’ve been working in. Besides wrecking my back, it’s been good & I have enjoyed being able to help take care of people well. Definitely have had a sense of satisfaction in it for which I’m thankful and I might be back depending on physio job outlook! For now, I'm excited to start my first physio job! :)

I’ve been reading a few different books recently... one of them, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, was recommended to me by a friend on a climb up Ben Nevis in the summer, but I’ve only just got around to reading it. It has great insights as to how what we believe can shape everyday life... the glorious outworking of faith in creation, history & community. A couple quotes...
“God’s great love and purposes for us are all worked out in messes in our kitchens and backyards, in storms and sins, blue skies, the daily work and dreams of our common lives. God works with us as we are and not as we should be or think we should be. God deals with us where we are and not where we would like to be...” p75

Peterson also talks about the idea of ordinary life lived in light of eternity but I found the way he explained this so helpful:
“...ordinary time... is a gift through which we participate in the present and daily work of God... end time influences present, ordinary time, not by diminishing it or denigrating it but by charging it, filling it with purpose and significance. The end time is not a future we wait for but the gift of the fullness of time that we receive in adoration and obedience as it flows into the present...”

Today, I’m thankful for purpose in the daily work and dreams of my common life...

no ebb, chill or change...

O love that wilt not let me go
I rest my weary soul in Thee
I give Thee back the life I owe
That in Thine ocean depth its flow
May richer, fuller be.
-George Matheson

"Beloved, nothing shall take the love of Christ from you, or separate you from it. It does not ebb with the ebbing of your feelings; it does not chill with the chill of your affections; it does not change with the changing scenes and circumstances of your life." -Octavius Winslow

I'm loving the changing colours of the trees these days... even if it is bringing with it the cold and the darker evenings. But in this time of transition for me, I am reminded of the never-changing love of God.

happenings and happiness

It’s been an amazing summer and I haven’t even left this wee island... I feel like it might be coming to an end soon but yet it’s just the beginning of all that’s next, which is also exciting. But the sun is still shining today which makes me think maybe summer is going to hang around for a while longer.

As I sit here typing, I'm realising I’ve kind of missed this wee venting space actually.

For those of you who want an update, I have graduated and for now I’m staying in Belfast. I’m on the hunt for a physio job but actually not too stressed about when that might appear. In the meantime, I’m starting work soon in a wee nursing home that I’ve worked in before. It’ll pay rent, keep me semi-connected to the caring/healthcare world, get me off the dole and keep me sane all of which can only be good things :)

I feel like I’ve seen more of Northern Ireland this summer than ever... random day trips (in between job hunting!) are so much more appealing with Sam and a convertible. Can you tell I’m in a good mood today? I am. For various reasons:
1. Just went for an hour long run (endorphins!) and didn’t die
2. I have a faithful God
3. I have another few weeks to chill, read, run, climb ben nevis & hang out with people until my job starts (blame the police checks...)
4. The sun is shining
5. I’m in love.

See, i’m not sure whether a return to blogging when I’m in this kind of mood will be good for the world. I suppose it’s to balance all those slightly depressed introspective blog/quotes I’ve posted over the last few years :)

Just to fulfil my quote quota for the day...
“There is a kind of happiness and wonder that makes you serious. It is too good to waste on jokes.” –CS Lewis, The Last Battle

one that sings

The Real Work by Wendell Berry

It may be that when we no longer know what to do
we have come to our real work,

and that when we no longer know which way to go
we have come to our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed.

The impeded stream is the one that sings.

_____________
this poem seemed kind of relevant to me today. on another note, i'm thinking about making a blogging comeback.... hmm....

hope's daughters

"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are anger and courage. Anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain as they are."
-St Augustine (HT: peter)

the promise

"The Christian faith, as I understand it, is not primarily a matter of signing on for the proposition that there exists a Supreme Being, but the kind of commitment made manifest by a human being at the end of his tether, foundering in darkness, pain and bewilderment, who nevertheless remains faithful to the promise of transformative love."
-Terry Eagleton, Reason, Faith & Revolution

update

I feel like I owe an explanation as to why I dropped off the blogging world for a few weeks... first, I'm no longer needing to blog for revision procrastination.... as no more revision :) and i met a boy... i think that sums it up. But I'll be back... unemployment = lots of thinking/reading time in between filling in delightful application forms...

realm beyond words

"Not everything has a name. Some things lead us into the realm beyond words... it is like that small mirror in the fairy tales – you glance in it and what you see is not yourself; for an instant you glimpse the Inaccessible, where no horse or magic carpet can take you. And the soul cries out for it." -Solzhenitsyn, Nobel lecture 1970

bright sunshiny day...

Waking up in Castlewellan Castle on Sunday morning (looking out the window at the breathtaking sunshine on the Mournes) was followed by great teaching on grace, good craic and a lovely drive back to Belfast. I crashed a sunny & chilled BBQ in the afternoon (complete with badminton and my fabulous wee nephew!).

Then I got a chance to hear the legendary journalist John Pilger being interviewed by William Crawley in downtown Belfast. Very interesting discussions - I seriously could have sat and listened to him all day.... just an incredible amount of experience and understanding of the historical/political dynamics in different parts of the world (obviously from his perspective, but is a very interesting one!) He’s deeply cynical about a lot of things, including the future of independent journalism, Obama, possibility of resolution of Israeli/Palestinian conflict, the UN in its current form etc. He was also very critical of British and US foreign policy, while being optimistic about developments in South America. He said he was most proud (in a humble way I think) of keeping going over his long career, and also having the chance to give a voice to people who needed one. Very inspiring guy. One quote of his (not from last night, although he did say this indirectly):
“It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and myths that surround it.”

Followed up by spontaneous chat over good coffee.... you could say it was the perfect day.... And the sun is STILL shining :)