I'm Glad You Found Me....

 I'm so glad you came by. But I have moved to two new sites.

My main blog can now be found at ralphturnerwriter.com

And anything to do with the revival in Leicester can be found at revivalinleicester.com

I do hope you will join me on our continuing journey together.

REVIVAL IN LEICESTER (20) - CLIMBING MOUNTAINS

Just a week back, I had the privilege of speaking at Chroma Church in their two morning services. I spoke on Caleb, a real hero of mine. The man that cried out ‘give me this mountain’ and at the age of 85 took that mountain. You can find the talk here, at the one hour and seven-minute mark:

I love Caleb. In fact his story is the story behind the name for this blog. It was nearly 20 years ago that I spoke on ‘Mountain Climbing for Beginners’ at KingsGate Church Peterborough; it’s Caleb’s story.

We are seeing many mountains being taken in Leicester right now, in this time of revival. I speak of some in the talk. Over 100 new Christian believers in the last two to three months, meaning a necessary revamp to our New Life and Next Steps courses- but what a great problem to have!

I mention the fact that others visiting are seeing what God is doing and reflecting on it being revival. We had a leader of a church movement visit. He had been particularly involved in the Toronto Blessing revival in the early 1990s. His comment was it was the same as Toronto, except more mature. We’ll take that!

A lady has joined us who was part of the revival in Pensacola in the mid-1990s. Her comment? ‘This is the first time I have witnessed something that feels the same as the Pensacola revival.’ We’ll take that too! Just this morning I saw that lady at our first service with gold dust all over her hands – a reflection of the Holy Spirit at work in the meeting.

We had some friends, Barry and Chris, visit recently. They had read the blog and travelled up from the south of England to join with the revival. They were keen to hear prophetically from God -and they both did. Barry had been a teacher, now retired. He had felt for a while that God was telling him to pick up his pen again in the context of writing and teaching. The thing is, he had a specific fountain pen that he used when he was at school and he has continued to use this to this day, rather than working on a laptop. So imagine his surprise and delight when Rachel, one of our ministry team, came up to him and said ‘I see you holding an old fashioned fountain pen. God is calling you to write again.’ Wow.

Chris’s comment as they arrived back home after spending a few days at Chroma was, ‘it is strange to be back, and yet not back- we both feel as though we have been to a different place….difficult to explain, a different planet sounds too extreme, but catches a bit of the “otherness” we feel.’

The revival continues. Join us if you can, at our Presence and Promise Conference.

 

Reflections

The first picture is the view from my sister’s holiday house. We are frequent visitors and the seat by the window with this view is my favourite place to sit.

The second picture is the view from our kitchen. Most days I start by sitting and looking at the beauty of God’s creation with this view in front of me.

Starting right is important. A time of reflection at the beginning of the day. Thinking through the day before us, looking to the day ahead.

For me as a Christian, it involves a short study from the Bible and some prayer. But whether you have a faith or not, a time of reflection is a good start to any day. I appreciate it’s easier for me nowadays with the kids away from home, but even five minutes reflection will help with the day ahead and bring context to the daily pressures of life.

And last thing at night too- just to be able to look back at the day, maybe to say a prayer of thanksgiving for another day. I reflect in a different way too – I keep a daily diary. And that’s the other rather boring looking photo here – I started writing a daily diary at Christmas 1977, when someone bought me one as a Christmas present. I thought I’d give it a go – I’m still giving it a go.

Diary writing, or an occasional piece in a journal, helps in the same way as a morning reflection – it gives time to consider the day, to record thoughts, thanks, anxieties, prayers, hopes and dreams. It takes us away from a cycle of work, sleep, TV and smartphones to an age-old tradition of crafted words, sentences that reach out beyond the daily rhythm of life.

And that leads to this blog. Just another way of recording and reflection – this one a bit more public. I started the blog when Elspeth, our oldest daughter, got married. It seemed a bit of a watershed moment. And it practically coincided with my 50^th birthday. Hence the 50 in the blog address. Seventeen years later – I’m still giving it a go.

So why not give it a go too? Reflect on the day. If you’re a Christian, pray and thank God for the day ahead and the day ended. If you don’t have a faith, why not try praying anyway? Or perhaps start that journal you always thought you should write.

My blog calls it climbing the mountains of life. The writer Eugene Peterson calls it a ‘long obedience in the same direction’. Our walk of life can mean so much more when we take time to reflect, to adjust course, to record, to say ‘thank you’ to the God who created the view, the day…. the years.

A 100,000 Thank-You's

Some time during the Christmas period, my blog went past the 100,000 mark in terms of ‘hits’ – people visiting the site. My youngest daughter tells me that this is a rather modest achievement when compared to other social media sites, but I’m grateful.

A 100,000 thank-you’s to all those that have visited, read, commented and posted.

I started out on 6^th December 2006. I was 51 years old and the blog address reflects this: Mountain50. 

The title of the blog, Mountain Climbing for Beginners, comes from a preach I did at the time, at KingsGate Church in Peterborough. It reflects my favourite Old Testament character, Caleb. At 85 years old, he climbed a mountain and defeated what seemed an impossible enemy that had held back the children of Israel for 40 years.  (Joshua 14: 12, 15: 14). As I grow older, I want to be a Caleb- still taking mountains in this life at 85.

As I write this, I am entering my 65^th year. I used to work in pensions, so the age of 65 has always been important to me- traditionally the UK’s ‘normal retirement age.’ In fact I left the pensions industry a few years ago now and have moved on to more book writing, working with Mission24 and other charities and with our amazing church, Chroma.

Looking at those that read the blog- I have some diagnostics on there – it tells me that my many friends around the world look in on me- India, New Zealand, Slovakia, United States, Canada, Argentina, Ghana, South Africa, Eswatini and more. Some are more puzzling- quite a lot from Russia. Are they real people or the famous Russian ‘bots’ checking in?

My most read blogs continue to be the ones on sacrifice, Laminin and being an introvert. My most controversial are the political ones- I’m an unrepentant Blairite and await some reasonable leadership to arise in the Labour party!

Anyway. Thank you. Thanks for reading this. And thanks for being among the many. A 100,000 thank-you’s.

Listening to the Silence

Officially it’s called the Bryniau Glo Walk. I call it the Hidden Valley Walk.

You climb up a long way on a well-defined trail, through a forest, over the hills and into a hidden valley. It’s protected on three sides by higher hills, with a view out to the rest of Snowdonia.

I guess it’s because of that protection that it’s so silent.

I stopped in the valley and listened. Nothing. No bird song. No wind. Just silence. The most perfect silence.

For a moment in time, I was part of that silence. Transfixed by it. Such a perfect moment. Listening and hearing nothing. Looking out onto such stillness and beauty. Worshipping.

Silence is not always welcomed. One of my favourite songs is The Sound of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel (check out the version by Disturbed – amazing!) But the lyrics are slightly depressive: ‘Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again, because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping.’

Too often we shut out silence. We surround ourselves with noise and activity. The TV drones in the background even if we are not watching it. Music plays through our headphones as we travel. The car radio is on. The mobile has its own playlist.

But what if for a moment we stopped and listened? Listened to the silence. Relaxed for a moment, with our breathing as the only sound. And maybe pray a prayer - thanking God for a moment of complete silence; for a moment of complete peace in a noisy world.

Philosophical Walking

Did you know there is such a thing as ‘philosophical walking’? You do now.

There’s even a group in Yorkshire who arrange such walks, complete with a friendly walking philosopher.

But if we think for a moment, all walks can be philosophical – especially those away from our daily routines. We see new things, we plan to get somewhere, we consider routes, we observe the new things around us. All that adds to a philosophical walk.

I’m just back from one of my favourite places – Dolgellau, just south of Snowdonia. Walking in the foothills there is invigorating, uplifting, challenging, tiring…. all these things and more.

One day I went out on my own on what is called the ‘bird sanctuary walk’- basically climbing half way up a hill and walking through a nature reserve. The only bird I saw was a crow! But there was plenty to enjoy, consider – even meditate on.

Those that know me will know that for me there is a ‘God connection’ too. To appreciate the creation made by God is special. There’s a favourite song of mine at the moment that says ‘Every painted sky, a canvas of Your grace. If creation still obeys You so will I.’

For me, that’s what walking does. I see the sky, the plants, the birds. And I worship.

Ready to Climb?

I don't often post my own preaches, but this one is to do with mountains. Preached in Cape Town in July 2018. Enjoy the climb.

ACCESS FROM SITE (Click back to 22/7/18 or type my name next to 'search'):

JoshGen Sermon Site

Sometimes the Mountains are Real

I started this blog nearly 10 years ago. Having reached the age of 50 then (60 now!), and having seen my first child married, I wanted to put into words the ‘meaning of life’ as I saw it, woven from stories, pictures, faith and news items. And that’s what I’ve done.

Once in a while, a mountain climbing clothes store or a mountain climbing club comes along and asks if they can advertise on my site. I’m flattered that anyone would want to advertise on my blog, but clearly all they have done is read the headlines!

But now and again, the philosophical meets the literal. I’m just back from a delightful week in Wales with friends. Fitter than me, they liked the idea of climbing mountains, so there I was one day, at the top of Cadair Idris, Wales’ second highest mountain.

Literal or metaphorical, physical or philosophical, may I continue to encourage my readers to reach the heights!

Mountains

You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain.

Tom Hiddleston

[We are] created to walk in precarious places, not on the easy levels of life.

Amy Carmichael

Keep Going (2)

....and sometimes we need to get up off the floor...

CLICK HERE:  Heather's Race

 

Keep Going

Sometimes we just need encouragement to keep going.

 

You Steady My Heart

Some signs of improvement, but still struggling with a virus that has pretty much knocked me out these last few months. In the meantime, Kari Jobe's new song says what needs to be said:

Even when it hurts

Even when it's hard

Even when it all just falls apart

I will run to You

Cause I know that You are

Lover of my soul

Healer of my scars

You steady my heart

Footprints, Not Monuments

William Faulkner talks about the need for footprints, not monuments. He explains that monuments are a statement that says ‘I got this far’. Footprints announce ‘this is where I was when I moved again’.

I want footprints to be the reflection of my life. I’m on a journey. I only arrive in the next life. A step at a time, I move forward. I don’t quite know what is around the corner, but with God’s help, I keep on the right path. It’s what Nietzsche and Peterson called a ‘long obedience in the same direction’. Long roads, mountain paths, obstacles and more. Finally the view from the top. It’s then that you know it was all worth it.

Thank You - To All 10,000 of You

About five years ago I started a blog. My eldest daughter had just got married and I had turned fifty. It seemed a bit of a watershed. I decided I was not going to give up on climbing the mountains that life throws at you, so this blog was born.

Today, 193 posts later, it tipped over the 10,000 mark in terms of readers. So thank you. I’m glad the blog has encouraged and challenged, and I hope it will continue to do so.

It’s taken a while to get there because I don’t cheat. Some sites count every ‘click’ as a new visitor. I’m a bit mean in only recording visitors once a day.

A few facts and figures. The two most popular blogs were one on this page – ‘A Clear Reason – A Clear Answer’, and one that has been reposted once because it was such a popular post – ‘Laminin’ (October 2010). Some days there have been as many as 100 visitors, other days one or two. Hello to the 481 of you in the States that have passed through this year. And a big hello to the five of you in Russia! Glad you passed by, sole visitor from China. And hi to my friends in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. I know who you are! Quite a following in Brazil- appreciate your company.

Thanks again and here’s to the next 10,000!

In the Footsteps of an Eight Year Old

Today I walked in the footsteps of an eight year old.

I started at the primary school, looking into the window where he began school at five years of age. Elsie sat next to him that morning. She cried all day. He ignored her.

On past the school to the shops. Two are still there. The newsagents where his mum bought him his first plastic farm animals. And the chip shop- fish and chips on a Friday night.


Down the back streets, past the allotments, past where he fell off his bike. And there it is, home - Milford Avenue, Flixton, Manchester. The house he lived in from early childhood to age eight. Not much has changed. A new fence on the side. The paint is a different colour.

It’s the first time I have walked those streets in forty-eight years. All sorts of memories came flooding back. Running through the streets with my friends. Stopping pretty much anywhere, in any house, to ask for a drink of orange squash. Community was strong there. Sad memories too. I found myself grieving for the loss of my mum. It was her hand I held as I walked those streets all those years ago.

The path has taken many a turn from Milford Avenue. Birmingham, Leicester, South London, Crawley, Peterborough. And I’ve been grateful for every step. Grateful to God. Grateful to my friends and family who have shared the journey. If you are reading this as someone who has journeyed with me, thank you for your company.

And there’s more. There’s a path ahead. I can’t see where it leads, but like the days of my early childhood, I hold a hand. No longer my mum’s hand, but my Lord’s. He treads every step with me. He can see what I cannot. He knows every rock and boulder we need to negotiate. He leads, I follow. One day we will reach home together.

Food for the Soul

Just back from a short break in Dolgellau, Wales. Just on my own- a time to reflect on changes in my life, a time to listen and a time to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Someone once described it as food for the soul. I'll let you look at the photo's and see if you agree...

Songs in the Key of Life

I decided I wanted to listen to the band ‘Mountain’ (if you have never heard their track ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, where have you been?!) so typed the word ‘mountain’ into my ITunes. And of course it came up with all sorts of songs about mountains. Seems appropriate to list them on a web site all about climbing the mountains of life. So here we go, some well known and some reflecting my eclectic (strange?) taste…

Misty Mountain Hop – Led Zeppelin
King of the Mountain – Kate Bush
Rocky Mountain High – John Denver
Rocky Mountain Way – Joe Walsh
Prayer of the Mountain – Iona
The Brain of the Purple Mountain – Leo Kottke [This gets the prize for the strangest title]
Visionary Mountains – Manfred Mann’s Earth Band
The Mist Covered Mountains – Mark Knopfler
When the Mountains Fall – Mark Schultz
Lead us up the Mountain – Matt Redman
River Deep, Mountain High – Tina Turner
Mountain of Things – Tracy Chapman
Mountain Tops – 2nd Chapter of Acts
Wild Mountain Honey – Steve Miller Band
Black Mountain – Nick Drake
Sugar Mountain – Neil Young
There is a Mountain – Donovan
Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble? – Delirious
There are Mountains Before Me – Dave Bilbrough
Mountain Mover – Bryn Haworth
Brave Mountaineers – Gordon Lightfoot

So there we are. The RIVER may be DEEP and the MOUNTAIN HIGH, it may be ROCKY , we may FALL and TREMBLE; there may be MOUNTAINS OF THINGS in our lives, and MOUNTAINS BEFORE ME but THERE IS A MOUNTAIN that is worth us being BRAVE MOUNTAINEERS for. He will LEAD US UP THE MOUNTAIN, with VISION through the MIST, out of the WILD, BLACK WAY, and as sweet as SUGAR and HONEY, with a PRAYER on our lips, deliver us with a HOP skip and a jump to the MOUNTAIN TOP, beside our KING OF THE MOUNTAINS and MOUNTAIN MOVER.

Well it was fun trying to fit in all the titles…. Couldn’t fit in ‘BRAIN OF THE PURPLE MOUNTAIN’ though, no matter how hard I tried!

A Preferred Future

"Commitments to a preferred future do not come randomly. They are intentionally established at times when you are thinking clearly and are close to God."
Wayne Cordeiro, 'Leading On Empty'

This New Year I commit to a preferred future. I will live brighter, clearer, cleaner, sharper.

Feast

I’ve just been looking at a few of our photos from our September holiday in Wales. The sun shone- somewhat unusual for Wales!

One day we were out in the hills, when a lady walked past. As we were looking out on the beautiful landscape, she said: ‘Spiritual food for the soul. Feast.’ And then she was gone.

And it was. Spiritual food that is. So beautiful. We discovered a hidden lake, high up in the hills. And we had the most amazing views of Cadaer Idris.





So here’s the question. Are you feeding your soul with spiritual food? For those with a Christian faith, how much dust is on your bible? For those that don’t believe or are not sure, when was the last time you sat down and looked at the hills of Snowdonia? Or the Lakes? Or the Downs? Or the Peak District? Or maybe just a walk in the local park?

Feast.

History will be kind to me for I intend to write it

.... so said Winston Churchill. And he did write it too!

This weekend sees Josh going off to College. His twin, Lois, will be off on a gap year to Africa soon. Time goes so quickly. Children grow so fast. It seems like only yesterday they were learning to walk and talk.

So if I want to write history, it has to be today. To leave it until tomorrow means someone else gets the pen and paper.