'All for Jesus. All I am and all I have....' (Christian song)

I saw a man and his wife arrive at church and I instantly recognise him as one of the clients from the Day Hospice I am involved with at another church. I have a lovely friendship with this man  and his wife and he always welcomes me at the Day Hospice with a 'high 5.'  Curious, I asked in my delight at seeing them why they had come to church. His response was 'we wanted  to come and see 'high 5's church.' They stayed for two services and lunch and the special gathering with people with disability that followed. This man had been isolated in community for many years and gradually was 'touching life' again.

How blessed are we that can enable others to come and see....................all for Jesus.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

' Nothing will be able to separate us from the Love of God.' Romans 8.39

 One of the things I do in my ministry with the older people is to always include the familiar. Familiar liturgy, familiar hymns, a familiar words of hope and assurance that speak to them personally. I think there must be nothing worse than being isolated from community and all it holds, especially faith community and feeling like all there was is lost.

I recall hearing this story of a little girl in a refugee camp in Rwanda. She arrived at the camp on the back of a truck and  an enquirer asked the soldiers what happened to her. One soldier replied. 'The same as everyone else. She ha no one left.' And, said the enquirer, ' What is that she is singing?' The soldiers said. ' It is something about a person called Jesus.'  A closer listen revealed the words.......' Jesus loves me this I know, for the bible tells me so.'

With nothing in her world left, everyone she loved gone she still knew, from the familiar taught in her life that there was one relationship that could never be taken from her.

' Jesus loves me this I know......'

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

The soul is on its knees

' He was praying in a certain place and one of the disciples said to him.' Lord, teach us to pray.' Luke 11:1.

There is something about Winter
The bare trees in the morning fog
The deep red of the sunrise on a cold winters morning
The white as white crisp frost crunching underfoot
and the transparent cobwebs washed with dew drops hanging on a fence
and amidst it all the last of the brilliance of colour of the passing autumn.

There is one thing I have learnt in my day to day life that wherever you are, whatever you see, whatever you do, is all prayer on the breath.

Victor Hugo said:
'Certain thoughts are prayers
They are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body
the soul is on its knees.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

'Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.' Ps 84:5

I am often fascinated by bridges. They say so much about bringing life, about access and stand as symbols of hope. They have a strength that endures. When thinking of our own lives, a bridge from Christ to us, us to Christ and us to others  carries that same felling of bringing life, of having access and presenting as symbols of hope. There is such opportunity for us all to' be' as bridges' Several funerals in the past few weeks of people on the very edge of faith, just needing  help to cross the bridge to Jesus has brought access, hope and life.
Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Anne, servant of the Lord.

foxes and birds

'And Jesus said to him.' Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests;but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.' Luke 9:58
I had never thought of Jesus as being 'homeless,' of having no where permanent to call his  home. No where to go to take off his sandals and recline on a favourite cushion  and just 'be' at the end of the day. Friends willingly accommodated him in his itinerant ministry, but he had no home. He ministered, he prayed and he walked everywhere. (no rushing!)
I know in 'temporary homlessness' and blessings of friends who open their homes to me how hard it is to function in 'homlessness' and through that God has given me a true insight into the suffering, trauma, stress and chaos of  homeless people on our streets and those in detention centres. Its amazing how, with eyes open, God continues to teach us.

Grace and peace from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Anne, servant of the Lord.