369 days to Christmas 07

Things get earlier and earlier. How come the January sales have started and I haven't celebrated Christmas yet? I guess the Easter eggs will be in the shops on Boxing Day?

We can so easily get sucked in to the next thing on the calendar. Always planning ahead. Always waiting for the next event. It's so easy to live life like that. Tomorrow is always going to be better. But what about today?

I can choose how I get out of bed in the morning. I can choose how I spend my day. Not just looking ahead, but enjoying the journey. I hope you have a great Christmas 2006. And that every day in the New Year is enjoyed to the max.

And remember, only 369 days to Christmas 07......

Belonging

I'm just off the back of an amazing weekend. We had 6 services over 3 days at our church as we opened the new building and celebrated Christmas at the same time- you can see the new building on www.pcc-uk.org

We had about 4750 people through the doors over the weekend, so quite an event. I enjoyed being in the choir. Hard to tell what it sounded like 'out there' but from the stage, it sounded good!

This weekend also saw the winner of X Factor in the UK. I predict a long and successful career for Leona Lewis- not something that could be said for many of the past winners! She has an incredible voice.

None of the choir members could match Leona's voice, I'm sure. But together, I think the sound we made would easily rival, if not excel anything on X Factor. There's a strength in harmony. There's a power in voices together. Paul, when he is writing to the church in Corinth, talks about how we need each other. An eye can't live on its own; it needs a head. The foot needs the rest of the body to function, etc. So, we need each other. And when we work together- what harmony, what belonging.

It's lonely out there. I'm glad I belong.

Cathartic days

Once in a while I get away for a day. Today was such a day. In fact I drove north to see a seal colony on the Lincolnshire coast. About 3000 grey seals and about 1000 of them are new pups. To be able to go right up to them, to walk around them, was amazing. It's not often I get to take a day out, but to spend time on my own is my way of recharging the batteries. Some thinking, some praying and a lot of seal gazing!

Sometimes we get too busy. And when the urgent crowds out what we really need to do, it's time to look at the seals.

The lowest mountain

Found this great quote from Dag the man with the impossible name. It's on the main page. It says it all really. We so often look from our limited viewpoint. Mountains can look impossible when you stare up at them.

But when you get to the top, how low they look! Keep climbing.

Changing Seasons

My daughter got married on Saturday. The first of our four children to do so. As events go, that's pretty much a watershed one. it puts me in a new category. I have a son-in-law. I'm a father-in-law. A whole new season of life.

I love living in the UK. The seasons are so clear. No offence to the wonderful people of California, but without a clear change in temperature, how do you know what part of the year you are in?! There's an attractiveness to living in the 'always summer' of LA but actually, I enjoy the cold. I welcome the snow. I love the leaves changing colour.

So for me, it's a new season. I welcome the change and look forward to all the different colours of life that are coming my way. Grandchildren? I've told them I'm far too young!

Not a techie then....

First real probem then. I sorted out a site and started with the blog below a few days back. Then I went to go back and post again and it wouldn't work! Not sure what I did. Maybe dealing with this sort of thing is harder when you're over 50.

Anyway, here we go with another site and address- remarkeably like the first attempt!

Starting to climb

Well this is it. I've got there. Started a blog that is. It's taken a while but I got there in the end.

It's not really about mountain climbing. It's more to do with continuing to climb in life after the age of 50. I'm 51. I feel like i'm 31! How did I get this old?! But there is so much more to do. Many more mountains to climb in this life.

I'm not sure whether anyone will ever read this stuff. Not sure at this moment it will be worth reading! But i'll give it a go. I've kept a daily diary for over 30 years so it shouldn't be too hard to keep this up.

The first of my children got married this weekend. That's a bit of a watershed in itself. Managed that mountain ok. The speech went well enough, the weather was good, and she looked beautiful. Onwards and upwards....