If we build a 'Babel', we must be prepared to see it fall.
Whenever we feel 'impregnable',
this can so easily lead to unawareness of our needs;
the need for trust, humility, accountability and, ultimately,
the need for God and each other.
Thank you, God, that in your infinite mercy, you are always there;
to pick us up when we are down,
to help us rebuild and restore what we have lost;
to help us to love and care about and for others, to fulfil ourselves
and to reconnect us
to yourself and to each other.
Monday, 21 December 2015
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Sundry thoughts from my notebooks
O God, please counsel my mind and console my heart.
Catch hold of God and don't let go.
We are living,
constrained by the chrysalis of our lives.
Help us to break free and soar like the beautiful creations you have designed us to be.
You are every breath I breathe.
You are my life-blood.
Heal my heart, soften my soul, still my mind.
Time is a 'cats-cradle'
in the fingers of God.
Everything should be viewed through the lens of love.
Catch hold of God and don't let go.
We are living,
constrained by the chrysalis of our lives.
Help us to break free and soar like the beautiful creations you have designed us to be.
You are every breath I breathe.
You are my life-blood.
Heal my heart, soften my soul, still my mind.
Time is a 'cats-cradle'
in the fingers of God.
Everything should be viewed through the lens of love.
Sunday, 22 November 2015
About the sorrows of the world
All the grief, misery and pain of the world is felt and held in the heart of God.
If we would only learn to carry our cares and sorrows to God,
we would find ourselves held in the outstretched and waiting arms
of everlasting comfort, consolation and joy.
If we would only learn to carry our cares and sorrows to God,
we would find ourselves held in the outstretched and waiting arms
of everlasting comfort, consolation and joy.
About how creation must come from something
It seems obvious to me that the universe has either evolved from nothing or from something? I would find the former idea inconceivable. Maybe I would be in good company here, as both Shakespeare's King Lear and Julie Andrews' Maria in The Sound of Music held that "Nothing comes from nothing".
The 'something' from which all that exists has evolved is what I understand to be God.
I reckon we either have God in our lives or we have one of two things, an empty space or a false god.. As all nature "abhors a vacuum", what do we put in that space?
The 'something' from which all that exists has evolved is what I understand to be God.
I reckon we either have God in our lives or we have one of two things, an empty space or a false god.. As all nature "abhors a vacuum", what do we put in that space?
Saturday, 14 November 2015
About the 'thoughts' from my notebooks
Many thoughts that I've recorded in recent months are from the early notebooks in which I began jotting, perhaps ten plus years ago - and it shows! They seem rough around the edges to me but I can't abandon them somehow, however raw they may be. It isn't quite, "I've started so I have to finish". It's more that they are there.
Over the years they came into my mind unbidden and though many, if not most of them, seemed to come through me rather than from me, they feel like my 'creations' and I can't quite bring myself to abandon them or consign them to the delete button (even if I possibly should!).
I am trying to prune and tidy them up for human consumption; to what degree of success, I can't be sure. I can but pass them on to you to make of them what you will.
Over the years they came into my mind unbidden and though many, if not most of them, seemed to come through me rather than from me, they feel like my 'creations' and I can't quite bring myself to abandon them or consign them to the delete button (even if I possibly should!).
I am trying to prune and tidy them up for human consumption; to what degree of success, I can't be sure. I can but pass them on to you to make of them what you will.
Sunday, 8 November 2015
About God and the big bang
It may be true to say that, before the 'big bang' there was nothing,
because nothing, in the sense of no-thing,
is exactly what God is.
because nothing, in the sense of no-thing,
is exactly what God is.
God is the 'is' in existence.
Friday, 6 November 2015
Sundry God-thoughts
Speak to me, God, in the nooks and crannies of my life.
We are all made by God and for God. We are called by God to be who and what we are, person, son, daughter, sister, brother, wife, husband, mother, father, friend, colleague, team-mate; the list is endless. We are in relationship with each other. This is our calling, our vocation.
Sometimes we may feel adrift on the ocean of existence
We are all made by God and for God. We are called by God to be who and what we are, person, son, daughter, sister, brother, wife, husband, mother, father, friend, colleague, team-mate; the list is endless. We are in relationship with each other. This is our calling, our vocation.
Sometimes we may feel adrift on the ocean of existence
but always we are afloat on the life-raft of God's love.
God knows, and therefore understands, every nuance of our nature.
There are times when I feel
a frisson of fear,
but there's no place so dark
that God is not near.
God knows, and therefore understands, every nuance of our nature.
There are times when I feel
a frisson of fear,
but there's no place so dark
that God is not near.
Monday, 19 October 2015
A possibility
To all the problems that I see
the answer is humility.
This may not be true but I do like the rhyme,
Could it be true perhaps?
If I could work harder at it, it might solve some of mine!
the answer is humility.
This may not be true but I do like the rhyme,
Could it be true perhaps?
If I could work harder at it, it might solve some of mine!
Sundry chats to God
My being is within your being.
I am held as in a cradle.
I am only a speck of dust,
but I am your speck of dust
and therefore infinitely precious to you.
You are the God of love,
You are love.
Love is the fabric of the universe.
I am held as in a cradle.
I am only a speck of dust,
but I am your speck of dust
and therefore infinitely precious to you.
You are the God of love,
You are love.
Love is the fabric of the universe.
Sunday, 20 September 2015
About creation, life and love
All creation is interdependent, related, connected.
"No man is an island"
We are as pebbles,
tumbled and jostled in the river of life;
our rough and jagged edges gradually smoothed away.
God, you are the fabric of my being.
You are the language of love.
"No man is an island"
We are as pebbles,
tumbled and jostled in the river of life;
our rough and jagged edges gradually smoothed away.
God, you are the fabric of my being.
You are the language of love.
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
More sundry thoughts on God and us
God is the personification of love and truth.
Our bodies are the sacred shells of our souls.
We are all cogs in the great wheel of life.
However small or faulty, we are, each one of us,
intrinsically vital, unique and irreplaceable.
Cauterise and circumcise my heart.
You, God, are the all-pervading presence
of love, joy and peace.
Our bodies are the sacred shells of our souls.
We are all cogs in the great wheel of life.
However small or faulty, we are, each one of us,
intrinsically vital, unique and irreplaceable.
Cauterise and circumcise my heart.
You, God, are the all-pervading presence
of love, joy and peace.
Sunday, 6 September 2015
Sundry thoughts on God and life
That we are all still imperfect,
and yet so beloved by God,
is proof of the all-encompassing compassion of God's grace.
Let us be dignified and humble in that knowledge.
Our bodies should be the servants of our souls
and not the masters.
To raise the lowly and humble the proud
are equal acts of love
in God's sight.
God wants to be our comforter.
God is the ultimate dimension
which surrounds and enfolds all of space and time.
and yet so beloved by God,
is proof of the all-encompassing compassion of God's grace.
Let us be dignified and humble in that knowledge.
Our bodies should be the servants of our souls
and not the masters.
To raise the lowly and humble the proud
are equal acts of love
in God's sight.
God wants to be our comforter.
God is the ultimate dimension
which surrounds and enfolds all of space and time.
Saturday, 29 August 2015
About co-creation
We have been enabled to be co-creators with God,
but, oh how flawed.
We are God's 'toddlers'
and God loves our 'works of art'
as we love our little ones' first efforts,
which we hang so proudly
on our kitchen walls.
At the end of each day,
let us give our offerings gladly,
our daily toils and joys,
to God,
who will cherish them.
but, oh how flawed.
We are God's 'toddlers'
and God loves our 'works of art'
as we love our little ones' first efforts,
which we hang so proudly
on our kitchen walls.
At the end of each day,
let us give our offerings gladly,
our daily toils and joys,
to God,
who will cherish them.
Random thoughts on God's love for us
We are made from love, for love.
We are, each of us, an encapsulated morsel
of the love of God.
No-one can ever fully know or understand
the amazing and all-compassing love of God.
I am nothing but that which the love of God has made me.
Feel suffused in the love of God.
God's arms hold us
and God's heart loves us
as a parent holds and loves
a precious newly-born child.
We are all living in the slipstream of God's love.
We are, each of us, an encapsulated morsel
of the love of God.
No-one can ever fully know or understand
the amazing and all-compassing love of God.
I am nothing but that which the love of God has made me.
Feel suffused in the love of God.
God's arms hold us
and God's heart loves us
as a parent holds and loves
a precious newly-born child.
We are all living in the slipstream of God's love.
About faith, hope and love
God has made us
to live by faith, in hope, for love.
In what should we place our faith?
If we really believe in the existence and reality of such concepts as Love, Truth, Beauty, Justice, Friendship, this belief will surely see us through the difficulties and hardships of life, no matter what comes our way.
It is this faith that gives us hope that "all will be well" one day, even if not 'today'.
The more we believe in, contemplate and trust in the loving power of God,
the more we may learn to hope and, hopefully, to love.
to live by faith, in hope, for love.
In what should we place our faith?
If we really believe in the existence and reality of such concepts as Love, Truth, Beauty, Justice, Friendship, this belief will surely see us through the difficulties and hardships of life, no matter what comes our way.
It is this faith that gives us hope that "all will be well" one day, even if not 'today'.
The more we believe in, contemplate and trust in the loving power of God,
the more we may learn to hope and, hopefully, to love.
Thursday, 20 August 2015
About God and praying - some thoughts
If we sit in a quiet and comfortable place,
we may find ourselves slipping into the silent sanctuary of our souls
and there, meet with God, our life and our love.
God, may I sink into you,
in silence and stillness,
at rest in the hammock of humility.
You have come into the room of my heart
and said to me,
"Be at peace.
Forget the mistakes, the failures and the betrayals of yesterday
and rest in the presence of my love"
God, we live in the pulse of your being.
God, you are the breath of my life.
we may find ourselves slipping into the silent sanctuary of our souls
and there, meet with God, our life and our love.
God, may I sink into you,
in silence and stillness,
at rest in the hammock of humility.
You have come into the room of my heart
and said to me,
"Be at peace.
Forget the mistakes, the failures and the betrayals of yesterday
and rest in the presence of my love"
God, we live in the pulse of your being.
God, you are the breath of my life.
Tuesday, 19 May 2015
About having read an old prayer which spoke of God's wrath
God's wrath? I don't think so.
God's grief, more like.
God's grief, more like.
Saturday, 9 May 2015
About seeing in the light
You don't light a candle to see the candle
but to see what the candle illuminates.
Walking into the sun, you see nothing.
With the sun behind you, you see all before you.
Jesus came into the world as a candle, to shine a light into all the crevices of doubt and despair from which we suffer, to open up the hidden spaces of loss and loneliness so that we may feel his presence.
Jesus is the light towards which we travel, knowing that he will always be there to guide us a beacon, lighting our path on the journey of life.
With Jesus as the light behind us, we are able to see the world before us as God's gift and travel in hope and courage, knowing that we will always be helped to face all that befalls us.
but to see what the candle illuminates.
Walking into the sun, you see nothing.
With the sun behind you, you see all before you.
Jesus came into the world as a candle, to shine a light into all the crevices of doubt and despair from which we suffer, to open up the hidden spaces of loss and loneliness so that we may feel his presence.
Jesus is the light towards which we travel, knowing that he will always be there to guide us a beacon, lighting our path on the journey of life.
With Jesus as the light behind us, we are able to see the world before us as God's gift and travel in hope and courage, knowing that we will always be helped to face all that befalls us.
Sunday, 12 April 2015
'God thoughts' connected with the poem "On His Blindness" by John Milton
These may be of interest to some and are on the 'About all sorts' blog.
Tuesday, 31 March 2015
A poem for Holy week
This is a post I wrote in my original blog last Holy Week. I felt it belonged here now so I offer it once again.
These words began to form in my mind quite some years ago.
It concerns Jesus after his arrest when he is brought, firstly, before King Herod and afterwards, before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate.
ONLY SILENCE
He didn't speak to Herod,
But for Pilate there were answers;
One, of his own race, a king,
And one, the hated foreign ruler.
We may wonder why this silence
for the one and not the other.
May we learn when not to answer
Is the wiser path to follow.
When the hearer doesn't listen
Only silence speaks our truth.
Why is it that we can see these things, and even write poems about them, but not be able to follow our own advice or, even more so, the example of Jesus? Still learning, I suppose.
These words began to form in my mind quite some years ago.
It concerns Jesus after his arrest when he is brought, firstly, before King Herod and afterwards, before the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate.
ONLY SILENCE
He didn't speak to Herod,
But for Pilate there were answers;
One, of his own race, a king,
And one, the hated foreign ruler.
We may wonder why this silence
for the one and not the other.
May we learn when not to answer
Is the wiser path to follow.
When the hearer doesn't listen
Only silence speaks our truth.
Why is it that we can see these things, and even write poems about them, but not be able to follow our own advice or, even more so, the example of Jesus? Still learning, I suppose.
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Some more thoughts
Even the smallest particle within creation is held in existence by the pulsating power of God's love.
We are held in the heart of an all-encompassing love.
God is my comfortable companion.
To God
Let your love and truth be the bed-rock of my life.
Heal my heart,
Soften my soul,
Still my mind.
Please bring us from our needs to our knees.
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Some more thoughts from my notebooks
Magnifying God
Be as a curved piece of glass
in which God's light may be focussed and transmitted
and set fire to the hearts of all who see.
Free Will
The gift of free will is sometimes just too great a weight for us to bear.
It is as a tossed caber that we cannot balance.
We totter and fall under its burden.
Put all that is chaos
into the hands and heart of God.
Life-raft
At certain times in our lives, all we can do is try to imagine ourselves
afloat on a raft on the river of life.
It may seem paper-thin, but it is made of indestructible material.
It is woven with the thread of God's love.
Be as a curved piece of glass
in which God's light may be focussed and transmitted
and set fire to the hearts of all who see.
Free Will
The gift of free will is sometimes just too great a weight for us to bear.
It is as a tossed caber that we cannot balance.
We totter and fall under its burden.
Put all that is chaos
into the hands and heart of God.
Life-raft
At certain times in our lives, all we can do is try to imagine ourselves
afloat on a raft on the river of life.
It may seem paper-thin, but it is made of indestructible material.
It is woven with the thread of God's love.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Some thoughts on God from my notebooks
God is one and God is infinity.
God is a circle of love.
(Mathematically speaking, a circle has one side and, at the same time, may be considered to have an infinitely large number of infinitely small straight sides; one and infinity together.)
PS How nice to think that, because a circle is the symbol of love, a ring has been chosen to be the symbol of marriage.
Everything good, everything amazing and wonderful
is a glimpse of the glory of God.
We must try to pray in the power of God,
and not in the doubts and impossibilities
of our own minds.
Let us try to walk
in the holiness of God.
We have become custodians
of the ancient word of God.
God is a circle of love.
(Mathematically speaking, a circle has one side and, at the same time, may be considered to have an infinitely large number of infinitely small straight sides; one and infinity together.)
PS How nice to think that, because a circle is the symbol of love, a ring has been chosen to be the symbol of marriage.
Everything good, everything amazing and wonderful
is a glimpse of the glory of God.
We must try to pray in the power of God,
and not in the doubts and impossibilities
of our own minds.
Let us try to walk
in the holiness of God.
We have become custodians
of the ancient word of God.
Thursday, 5 February 2015
About the adventure of God
Why does this seem like an adventure to me? I really don't know but it does.
Thinking about God, for me, is like entering the Tardis or C.S. Lewis's wardrobe; you think you're entering a phone box or an ordinary piece of furniture and, lo and behold, you find yourself in another world, a great cavern, the Cathedral of the Universe.
It's as exciting to me as science or art or sport or music or falling in love or any other of the great wonders and delights of our world. If you see the whole of creation as God's handiwork, as I do, then whatever joy you find in life is a part of that universal joy which is in the heart of God.
I'm going to re-read this and think it sounds like a crazy ramble but I just wanted to begin sharing my jottings and thoughts on God with, if you like, an overture of exuberance before the great symphony of God's life and love which runs through and inhabits every nook and cranny of our world.
Thinking about God, for me, is like entering the Tardis or C.S. Lewis's wardrobe; you think you're entering a phone box or an ordinary piece of furniture and, lo and behold, you find yourself in another world, a great cavern, the Cathedral of the Universe.
It's as exciting to me as science or art or sport or music or falling in love or any other of the great wonders and delights of our world. If you see the whole of creation as God's handiwork, as I do, then whatever joy you find in life is a part of that universal joy which is in the heart of God.
I'm going to re-read this and think it sounds like a crazy ramble but I just wanted to begin sharing my jottings and thoughts on God with, if you like, an overture of exuberance before the great symphony of God's life and love which runs through and inhabits every nook and cranny of our world.
Wednesday, 7 January 2015
Welcome and introduction
For some time now, I have been aware that I have not written very much about the God of my 'On God and all sorts'.
By some unintended happy chance, I had two sites called janjotting and the idea grew in my mind that it might be better to separate my posts into two groups, which, courtesy of husband and son, R, I have been able to do; so now for a new stage of the adventure.
I strongly suspect that my motives are not all laudable. I'm probably worried that 'God thoughts' might seem off-putting for some and 'all sorts' might seem trivialising for others.
Be that as it may, thinking and wanting to write about God has been one of the most important threads of my life, certainly from about the age of ten. In fact, I thought everybody felt the same, the way you do at that sort of age. It didn't take me too long to discover that they didn't.
I am not a theologian, I have never studied religion apart from at school and, much later, a distance learning course on teaching RE in a Catholic school. My only qualifications are a lifelong belief in and love of God and a brain which won't stop thinking thoughts and ideas that keep shouting out to be shared (yes, I do know it's actually me).
It honestly doesn't matter to me if anyone chooses to read my jottings or not. Of course I hope they might and will be very chuffed if they do, but the point is the choice is there. All those thoughts don't just have to go on echoing in my mind and cluttering up my life on myriads of slips of paper and scrawled-upon notebooks everywhere.
Through the wonder of the internet, people like me can achieve these dreams; what an amazing joy and privilege.
By some unintended happy chance, I had two sites called janjotting and the idea grew in my mind that it might be better to separate my posts into two groups, which, courtesy of husband and son, R, I have been able to do; so now for a new stage of the adventure.
I strongly suspect that my motives are not all laudable. I'm probably worried that 'God thoughts' might seem off-putting for some and 'all sorts' might seem trivialising for others.
Be that as it may, thinking and wanting to write about God has been one of the most important threads of my life, certainly from about the age of ten. In fact, I thought everybody felt the same, the way you do at that sort of age. It didn't take me too long to discover that they didn't.
I am not a theologian, I have never studied religion apart from at school and, much later, a distance learning course on teaching RE in a Catholic school. My only qualifications are a lifelong belief in and love of God and a brain which won't stop thinking thoughts and ideas that keep shouting out to be shared (yes, I do know it's actually me).
It honestly doesn't matter to me if anyone chooses to read my jottings or not. Of course I hope they might and will be very chuffed if they do, but the point is the choice is there. All those thoughts don't just have to go on echoing in my mind and cluttering up my life on myriads of slips of paper and scrawled-upon notebooks everywhere.
Through the wonder of the internet, people like me can achieve these dreams; what an amazing joy and privilege.
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