Reminded of grace...

Have you ever seen vegetation pushing up through cracks in pavements? Do you ever wonder how it can survive, even flourish, in such seemingly unsuitable conditions?

Near where I walk to work, there is a small lane that is surrounded by concrete buildings. Nothing could be less conducive to plant life, but here there are plants, small shrubs, mosses and even larger trees sprouting from floors, walls, guttering - right up to the top of some of the buildings, coming directly out of the walls. Life finds a way.

So does grace. In my recent "faith crisis", I have stumbled upon small reminders of grace. A book here, a song there, a late night TV program, a conversation, a note written by someone long ago. Grace appears in the most unlikely places.

However bleak things are, however silent God seems when we pray, it seems we just can't get away from His grace.

Wherever we wander, grace finds us...

Perhaps that's what inspired the line :
"I once was lost, but now I'm found".

Did you know?
Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992) was known as "Amazing Grace" because of her outstanding achievement in the computer field. One of her contributions is the invention of COBOL, the first user-friendly business software program, which is still in use today.

Chilie for this time of year...

Chilies

I love the warmth of chilies in food, especially at this time of year. That tangy, zingy, piquancy gives such a pleasant burning sensation on your tounge.

It reminds me most of the famous Scots square sausage meat. If you ever go to Glasgow, go into a cafe and have a cup of tea and a square sausage sandwich - its one of the joys of the world.

The essential oil in chilies, capsaicin, does not dissolve in water - it is hydrophobic (a bit like cats..?!) You may have heard people say not to drink water when you are eating food with chillies in - there is a reason for this. Because the chilie oil does not dissolve in water, it is instead spread across the surface of the mouth, prolonging and spreading that burning in the mouth!

If you've over-indulged, and are struggling with the heat, eat something that is high in fats and oils, such as milk, bread or butter. The chilie oil will then mix freely with these other fats, and be removed from the mouth.

Cool, eh? (or was that a hot tip?)

(I can feel a chilie Haiku coming on..._

Did you know

Birds are generally not sensitive to chilies, and can quite happily munch through the hottest of chilie peppers as a snack.

A blog is for life, not just for Christmas...

I promise not to dwell too much on my pet subject at the moment - the "real" meaning of Christmas, but for now....

Sun god or Son of God?

The 25th December was a popular Roman day of celebration in honour of the sun god, "Mithras". The festival occurred just after the winter solstice when the days became longer.

Since no-one could quite agree on the day Jesus was born, Pope Julius picked December 25 as THE DAY in AD349. I think the idea was to hi-jack the celebration and convert the Romans. You can just imagine it now in the streets, people giving gifts, hugging and singing together.

"Merry Christmas, and praise be to the son of God", sing the Christians.
"Hail Mithras, and praise be to the sun god", sing the pagans.

I bet Hallmark would have done a selection of cards for both - perhaps reversible?



Did you know.....
"Bethlehem means "house of bread" - bread of life, perhaps?

100 days till Christmas...

Is it just me, or does the western world gear itself around Christmas more and more each year?

I heard someone recently comment about the "real" meaning of Christmas. I got to thinking what that was - why do we do certain things at Chritmas time, and also why do we abandon ourselves to excesses, excusing it with "well, its Christmas.."

I thought it might be interesting to point out some little known things about the origins of this most important event in the Hallmark / retail year...

1. - The birthday of Jesus Christ
For the first three hundred years of the current era, there was no festivity of the birth of Jesus. Some churches celebrated Jesus' birthday in the spring time and some celebrated it on January 6 (Epiphany).

Man Flu Outbreak

I'm starting to come down with a cold / cough / sore throat thing. Its not serious, but I dont half winge when I feel under the weather...

I call it "man-flu":

"There's nothing wrong with him - just delusions of glandular"

Pomegranate - A haiku

small glass of juice the

kind pomegranate gives to

ease the heart and mind

Pomegranates - edible bubblewrap...?

Pomegranates - aren't they just the weirdest fruit? Its a bit like eating bubble-wrapped budgie seed, don't you think?

I found a great stress relief use for these wonderous fruits - simply take a large bowl, and half a pomegranate. Hold the fruit face down over the bowl, and squeeeeeze! - There is a wonderful muted "popping" sound as the little bubbles of juice burst open, just like popping the padding in jiffy-bags. The juice has a wonderful dry-white wine / cranberry taste to it, and it does you good too!

Recent research suggests a daily glass can protect against heart disease. Pomegranate juice contains the highest antioxidant capacity compared to other juices, red wine and green tea. This is good news, for antioxidants are the naturally occurring substances in plants that protect the body from free radicals - 'bad' chemicals in the blood.

Me? I just like the popping feeling...!

Pomegranates - health for your body, relief for your mind...

Haiku of the day..

A modern haiku is a short poem of 17 syllables, 5, then 7 then 5. It is often customary to mention a word that suggests the season it was written in.

Here is one I wrote in summer:

Meaning and the wasp
dance a merry dance around
hands that snatch at air

I'm feeling ebullient

I love finding out words that I never knew before, and tryng to incorporate them into my vocabulary.

Today, I read the word "ebullient", which means "joyously unrestrained". Cool.

Scott Peck - The Road Less Travelled

read this book, "The Road Less Travelled" by M. Scott Peck, a number of years ago, and it did have a profound impact on my life, and my thinking.

Scott Peck's basic premise is that "life is a boot camp" and that the whole point - the meaning of life, if you will, is growing and maturing through this "boot camp".

His ultimate argument is "you cannot lose" when you realise that "everything in life is designed to teach you holiness".

I've struggled with the whole 'meaning of life' / life purpose issue for a long time, but these thoughts do keep coming back to both comfort and challenge me. Its not the destination, you see, but the journey. Its not an easy journey, either, as even Scott Peck ended up on hard times, with Parkinson's disease, alcohol problems, and a marriage breakdown:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8123-1606175,00.html

Haiku - Tears

Tears rain from my face

and sorrow fills up my soul.

Grief remains thirsty.

I don't recall if I copied this from a web site, or if this is one of mine, but I think it is very apt.

What do you think?

Haiku - An introduction.

I love reading and writing Haiku. This is one of the most important forms of Japanese poetry. For a detailed explanation, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiku.

Here is one I wrote a few winters ago, whilst staring out across my snow-covered garden:

A million flakes of snow

dress the land in uniform,

Hiding things we know.

My Small World

I used to write a lot of musings and scribbles on scraps of paper, and I found this one. It was written in one sitting, and I then I lost it. For years I thought it was missing, and I could only remember the occasional word. Then it turned up about three or four months ago, and I was thrilled.

I was just trying to capture the idea that when you stop for a moment, and record what you are thinking, you have a sense of how big the world is, and how much is happening. It just might be possible that someone, somewhere else, is pausing to think that too, and perhaps even writing down their feelings, just as you begin to do the same....

"Here I am in my small world
Unaware of who you are or where
Wondering how you can manage
With so much to do
So much to care for
How can I know that he cares for me?
Why should he?
Do I?

My world is so here-and-now
All of the things in my mind
and sometimes when I stop and think
I nearly see you, know you
feel your world
but I will never know if you are there
thinking with me
praying for me
as I do for you

Tomorrow will be here so soon
and all these thoughts a dream
but for this special moment
in this holy hour
know that he cares for you
and I have reached out with my heart
to you
somehow, somewhere
and maybe you have written these words
for me...
for you."

(C) Mark Simpson
July 1997

You are my Shepherd

I was chatting with my sister this week, and she remarked "I pray a lot - about everything, but then I get up and go do something...". This reminded me of a poem I wrote a number of years ago, and I thought I'd share it:

You are my shepherd
I shall not be in want.
But I must always heed your voice.

You make me lie down
In green pastures,
But I must choose to eat.

You lead me beside quiet waters,
But I must stoop to drink.

You restore my soul.

You guide me into
Paths of right living
But I must live right,
For your name's sake.

Even though I walk through the
Valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil.
But I must walk through,
I must strive onward.

You protect and guide me,
Your strong arm hems me in.
I do not see the many dangers
From which I am saved.

You prepare a table before me
In the presence of my enemies,
But I must serve them my food,
I must give them milk and honey.

You anoint my head with oil,
And prepare me for my calling,
But I must respond.
I must act.

My cup overflows;
I pour myself out.

Goodness and mercy will follow me,
But I must do good,
And I must show mercy,
All the days of my life.

And when this life is gone,
Another house will be my home,
And I will worship in that place,
Forevermore.

(C) Mark Simpson 1998

Prodigal children

Prodigal children

When we worship, we are beginning a walk home to God. Back from our everyday existence into the Holy of Holies. As we begin this journey, we sense an inner change, a shift from our world view to God's. Perhaps, like the prodigal, we sense how worthless all our efforts have been, and how we have ignored the centre of our lives - our relationship with Him.

When we return, we know that "he delights in us, and rejoices over us with singing", much as the prodigal's father did when his son returned. Worshippers feel an abandon to God, a sense of nothing but "you and Jesus", where our inner man is strengthened, and we have a deep sense and knowledge of God's overwhelming joy for us.

Songs are signposts (or singposts?) along the way, and the lyrics are instructions to our heart on how to get there. We are all prodigal sons and daughters, squandering much of our time in the world, and when we worship, we are coming to our senses, running back to the father heart of God, and embracing him. Worship is a deep embrace between Jesus and us. It is a returning. A re-union.

"As the deer pants for the water" : He has tasted the water, and knows it to be good, knows its refreshment and its life. The longing is there for something that is known to be good, something to return to. In truth, our souls are always longing for this. How long will we remain away from his presence? We need to go to him, make the journey through worship, and drink deep from his love and provision for us.

And the father's response? He kills the prize lamb for us. The precious lamb of God that "takes away the sin of the world". It is his offering of welcome, and of celebration. It is a promise of forgiveness, and acceptance. Acts 2 - 39 "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call."