Walk On

Life can appear to throw curve balls at times. Conflict can emerge from the most unlikely quarters. Life can be tough.

But here's what I've learned...

It's in your paths' twists and turns, in the unexpected, the unplanned, the inconvenient and in the downright pain in the backside, that you will find grace and direction.  So embrace the God-shaped surprises that you stumble over; laugh with the angels as the next stepping stone seems to shift and stride out knowing that your Father has a plan.

It's at the edge of your comfort zone where God will meet you and where you'll see his hands at work.  So don't hesitate to go there and meet him and marvel at his works.

And take his word as your guide: His written words will sometimes act as a sword to pierce, cutting through unnecessary distractions.  Sometimes his written words will act as spears in the ground to set safe boundaries for you to find confidence as to how far you can go.  But always his written word will provide light for your paths, giving you direction.

So walk on.

THE JOY OF DISCOVERING COMMUNITY

Hamish is old and grey now.

He's hard of hearing and his eyesight is fading.

His old joints make it hard to negotiate the stairs sometimes.

And he needs to be careful about what he eats.

But he still enjoys a stroll down the park.

He has plenty of friends to catch up with. He's quite happy - although he finds that most evenings are spent dozing on the sofa with the TV on in the background.

He's 14 now, not the young border terrier pup we remember.

We find that he's happier when he gets a walk first thing in the morning.

This means me getting up earlier than I would plan and braving the morning chill.

It also means new acquaintances for me.

Having a beast on the end of a lead means that I am accepted into a discrete community. It's a cross cultural community, not gender-biased, and people of all ages join.

The dog walkers.

And it doesn't matter what mood I'm in when I leave the house; by the time I get home I'm buoyed by the interaction and cheery greetings of those I meet.

(There's even another border terrier named Hamish who frequents the same park; a younger version.)

There's another community that I meet with regularly, and when I meet them I not only have my spirits raised by their company, I experience the pleasure of being part of a wide family who know me and accept me warts and all. Better than that, we meet with our Father in heaven too.

Redeemer London.

If you've found yourself looking for community, why not come along on a Sunday morning to Ealing town hall. The kettle will be on from 10 o'clock.

We're drawn from many nations, not gender-biased, and all ages are represented.

You'll be most welcome.

(And for those like Hamish whose joints aren't what they used to be, there's easy access too.)