Sharing

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

I was reading Luke 15 again when something struck me. It is the chapter where three lost things are found. Firstly there is the lost sheep. The shepherd puts his life in danger to find that one lost sheep. I’m sure there are cases of shepherds losing their lives to rescue one sheep or lamb. When he finds this particular sheep, he doesn’t just get on with life. ‘He calls his neighbours and friends together and says, Rejoice with me.’ He shares his joy with anyone who will listen and probably those who don’t even want to know.

Then we read of the woman who loses one of her ten silver coins. She searches everywhere earnestly until she finds it. Then she doesn’t return to her days work, no, she tells her neighbours ‘ Rejoice with me, I have found my lost coin.’ She shares her joy at finding the coin.

Then there is the lost son. Daily the father looks for his son’s return. When it happens he throws a party, We are told , so they began to celebrate. He didn’t quietly return to his normal life. He celebrates, wines and dines with neighbours and friends. He shares his joy.

It made me think about myself. Like the shepherd, woman and father I have reason to rejoice. Jesus has died and saved me from my sins. Am I going to keep that good news to myself? Am I going to be embarrassed and shy, not telling others. Sadly that is sometimes the case. But I need to rejoice and share. That really is what I’m doing this morning. I know this message goes round the world. So I’m rejoice with me, Jesus has saved my sins.

Days Drag and Months Fly.

Carol Purves Carol's Blog , ,

I had this comment from a young friend of mine in an email recently. She is under 30 and not more mature like myself, but she still felt the rushing by of time.

Do you remember being stuck in boring lessons at school, or waiting to go on that first date? The days certainly dragged then. Sitting in monotonous business meetings when the clock seemed to stand still made the days never-ending.

Yet in 2021 we are almost to the longest day. My friend presented her credit card at the till knowing it ran out at the end of May; it was then the middle of June, but she still felt in May. Where had the months gone. I remember hiking, climbing and generally rushing round having fun but I ask myself where have the years gone?

God’s idea of time is so different from ours. He has been gracious in giving time, He knows we can’t cope with eternity yet. The hymn says ‘A thousand ages in Your sight are like an evening gone.’ We have only 80 or 90 or at a stretch 100 years. God has eternity. I can’t imagine what life will be like without time. I’m looking at my watch or mobile repeatedly. There is always the next thing to be done or experienced.

I’m glad God is in control of time. I don’t want to be here for ever. The next life will be for ever. That’s OK by me.

New Bathroom

Carol Purves Carol's Blog ,

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but it is a red letter week.

I mustn’t exaggerate. Not a whole new bathroom, just changes. My bath and old shower have been removed and a wet room installed. I would call it a walk in shower, I don’t know how one can have a shower in a dry room. It wouldn’t stay dry if I started showering. But everything has new words now. I won’t start on the covid words, enough has been written about them.

Everything I keep in the bathroom I’m now looking at in a critical way. That is too old, this is too dated. So, yes, I will be spending money on bathroom accessories. But the wonderful thing is that I’ve had it done. Because of restrictions I’ve waited 15 months and had to use my third choice in the end. But now everything is working well, I’ve forgotten the troubles of the past. Like life really, the past is past and the future is yet to come.

Our Messy World

Carol Purves Carol's Blog ,

Reading or hearing the news is not a pleasant experience. The world is full of natural and man-made disasters. In various parts there are volcanoes, floods, fires and earthquakes. As if that was not enough, mankind makes things worse. There are wars, rumours of war, killings, beatings. Man is fighting with man. There is intolerance, discrimination, poverty, and greed.

God must look down on us and shake His head. We are like little children who want our own way. We are sure we are right and everyone else is wrong. We are like spoilt little children.

We need a common purpose, more love, tolerance, kindness, in fact all the fruits of the Spirit. God is just waiting to shower us with gifts, but we would rather go our own way and suffer. God’s way is the only way. There is no doubt that our way is not working.

A Shower

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

I’m not talking about rain, but a shower I can stand under and be made clean. Yes, my bathroom is now finished and fully operational. One does not appreciate something until you don’t have it. A shower is definitely important in my life.

But as I write I realise not everyone has the luxury of running water. Water has to be collected from a well or nearby stream. Life is so unbalanced. Why should I have water and not others? Realising the countries that some of you come from I realise how fortunate I am. Why should life be so unequal? I can give some money for aid but it might not reach the right place and it might not reach my readers.

We need water, yes, but we also need the eternal life-giving water that God gives. That water will never run out or be stale. It is always available.

My Tree

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

I think I’ve written before about the tree outside my house. I can’t be technical and tell you what kind of tree it is; it is just a tree which is very much appreciated by me. During lockdown, in the last twelve months I have been photographing it at regular intervals. At the moment it is at it’s best; all the leaves bright green and healthy. Fortunately autumn is still a long way off.

One of the reasons I started to photo it (there wasn’t much else to see) because it is increasing greatly in size. I’m afraid the council might cut it down, or at least cut it back drastically. If there was no tree I would just be looking at the house opposite and a tree is always more beautiful. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. It will be too late to take a picture of it then.

This has happened before. I came home one day and a tree had been cut down. It was too late to do anything about it. Nature and of course, God gives us something that nothing else can.

Gardener

Carol Purves Carol's Blog ,

Oh dear, I’ve got to the stage where I can’t cut my own lawn any more. I think it’s called old age. I have a poor record in regard to gardeners. I lost my last one just before the beginning of covid. Others I have lost, one went to New Zealand, one retired, one had a breakdown, and one became a long distance lorry driver. (No of this is anything to do with me, I assure you)

I now have Stephen and have high hopes of him being satisfactory. He does have to travel 30 miles but spends one day a week in my area. My grass is now so long that tiny animals can hide in it. I do like neat and short lawns, but am doing my bit for the environment by having one of the lawns as a short flower wild meadow. Well, I should be. It was planted six weeks ago and so far there is no evidence of wild flowers, or any other flowers for that matter. It must be the fault of our very cold autumn. I’ll let you know when I have a lawn to be proud of.

New Wet Room

Carol Purves Carol's Blog ,

After fifteen months, it’s finally happening. I’m having a new wet room. Strictly speaking, it’s not a new wet room, it’s a shower and bath removal being replaced by a wet room. With a broken shower door and a bath which I couldn’t get out of, a change was necessary. This was the third manufacturer I had contacted, and then there was the delay of covid, but I’m here now.

I am conscious that some of you reading this would be happy to have a bathroom of any kind. In fact, you would be happy to have running water. Life is unfair when some countries have so much and other have little. I don’t think God ever said it would be fair.

Moving Mountains

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

Jesus tells us in Matthew 17:21 that if we have enough faith we will be able to move mountains. I firmly believe that in the power and strength of God we will be able to move mountains and do the impossible.

But I’ve also found that often He expects us to climb the mountain rather than move it. That takes a great deal of effort on our part.

To Hug or not to Hug

Carol Purves Carol's Blog

We are now faced with another problem. We have permission to hug. The trouble is I’ve forgotten who is on my ‘hug list’. There were some people I hugged, some I shook hands with, some I tapped on the shoulder or put my hand on their arm. With one lovely friend who came to Spain with me, we have a double kiss. That was how we greeted in the Spanish church by dozens of people. I’ve never been kissed by so many men in one day!

Some of my friends have mentioned that they don’t like hugs. That’s fine, but what about the others. Will they think me unfriendly if I don’t and they do? Or will they think me forward if I do and they don’t? OK, kissing is out with masks on but I still have the problem. Do I hug or not hug?