On turning 59…
I turned 59 on Wednesday. It’s an awkward kind of a birthday 59 – it feels like an unspecified space. When you turn 39 or 49 people joke, ‘almost 40’ or ‘almost 50’. But 59 is different. People politely say, ‘I would never have guessed it’ – as though you are about to enter territory too sad to fully acknowledge. Whatever, I had a ball on Wednesday, and am feeling remarkably positive about life. As I look back on 59 years, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and delight… life has been a far more enjoyable ride than I ever...
Read MoreFor an audience of one…
After a busy little spell, and with a very full semester looming, I took some time off to pray and to reflect on what lies ahead. As is usually my practice on such days, I found a quiet spot by the beach, the soothing rhythm of the waves a wonderful backdrop to my thinking. At one stage I went for a walk along the beach – true, I am still limping somewhat, but it was good to feel the breeze and to watch wave after wave make its way towards the shore, and though my pace was slower than usual, my pedometer approved of my progress. For most of the time I was the sole occupant of the beach...
Read MoreManaging Monday with Mother Teresa…
Mother Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) is one of the most loved and respected figures of the 20th century. Winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, her extraordinary life continues to inspire us, as does the wisdom of her many sayings. We will reflect on a few of them over the next few Mondays… If you are humble, nothing will touch you, neither praise nor disgrace, because you know what you are. Mother Teresa In the end dear friend, it is always between us and God, not between us and them. Mother Teresa I used to believe that prayer changes things, but now I know that prayer changes us,...
Read MoreWhen Psalm 1 doesn’t work: Where questions and answers come from…
What do you do when Psalm 1 doesn’t work? Do you know the dilemma. Psalm 1 promises an orderly life that makes sense. Do the right thing, meditate on the Scriptures, keep the right company, love God, and in due season your life will flourish. It’s perfectly logical, and it works most of the time… probably 95% of the time. But what happens when you land up in the 5% territory – when nothing makes sense, and when you identify more with Asaph in Ps 74:1 who asks “Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your...
Read MoreOn walking with a limp…
The title of today’s post is not figurative. After excessive zeal at the gym, I have landed up with tendonitis. My physio advised some exercises to help settle it, the key of which involved standing on a step and lowering my heal to stretch the tendon – all good until I overdid that and slipped off the step, twisting my ankle in the process. If it hadn’t been so painful, it would have been funny. And painful it was. It was so bad I was convinced I had broken something, but have been assured this is not the case. However, it will be a few weeks before I am back to walking as...
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