When Jesus realised that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. (John 6:15)

Clearly, Jesus does not subscribe to the dictum ‘no publicity is bad publicity’. As he says later in John’s Gospel his ‘kingdom is not of this world’. He eschews personal fame because he is doing his Father’s will and works. Jesus’ antidote to the lure of fame is to seek solitude – inferring that he would pray. This passage makes me wonder, ‘how easily am I seduced by fame?’

In an interconnected world that feeds and is fed by social media, young people can see being ‘liked’ as crucial. Yet we see again and again how celebrities are ‘burned’ by the bright lights – in one way or another. We do well to encourage the young people in our care to discover and use their God-given gifts and be true to themselves. In so doing they will be doing God’s will. There is nothing wrong with fame that comes from goodness, but fame is not an end in itself.

Have a great week…and break!
Patrick

Eyes closed

Man snuggled

Against woman

Against wall

Of the train carriage

Arm of one placed

Lovingly

Around the other

Long day

hard work

A study in

shared fatigue

At day’s end

Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage (Ps 27:14)

The Psalms echo down the millennia because they name the human condition and point the way. Any number of matters can try our patience or our hope. We can feel assaulted from without. Maybe we should look within, letting our ‘heart take courage’. We can remember all that God has done for us in the past. We can trust in our God-given gifts and talents. Do we ‘wait for the Lord’ or do we wait for the fog of our own emotions to lift long enough for us to realise that the Lord never went away?

From my years ministering to teenagers, I believe that ‘let your heart take courage’ is a timely message for them. The landscape of their lives can seem to be constantly changing. Believing in their God-given gifts and trusting in themselves provides stability in their lives and allows them to ‘be strong’. It also clears the young person’s mind and senses so that they might become aware of God’s presence in their lives.

Have a good week!
Patrick

Your bounty paints

The whole sky

In another morning

Feast for the eyes

And soul.

I want to stay in the moment

And savour

This delight.

Those

Around me

Seem oblivious.

The moment passes

And I am grateful again

For your grace.

I cannot know others’ workings

Yet I wonder:

How are they fed?

Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield. (Ps 33:20)

When the going is tough, it is easy to feel isolated. The use of the plural pronoun binds us together. The reality is that we each ‘come undone’ and are in need of assistance. Rather than being unusual this is to be embraced. Yet, it is not ‘on tap’. We must be patient and wait, possibly to hear the ‘still, small voice’ (1 Kings 19:12). This statement of faith and hope rings true across the millennia.

Our task is to guide the young people in our care to have faith and to have patience. This is countercultural in our ‘now’ world. The beauty of faith and patience is that they help us to step back from the demands and worries of the world. They help to give us a fresh perspective. Rather than be tossed one way and another by life’s demands and worries, faith and patience give young people the space to be and to grow into everything God gifted them. No small gift.

Have a great week!
Patrick

I stand dry

Watching

This watery spectacle

Of driving rain

As it drenches

The garden

Whose green bushes

Were lapping up

This bounty

Slender branches

Of a deciduous tree

With last vestiges

Of gold and brown

Allowed rivulets

To course down

Its trunk

This ordinary scene

Jolted me

With its grace

the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal 5:22-23)

At the first Pentecost, the followers of Jesus were empowered by the Holy Spirit. I think that it’s an expression of our humanity when we expect the Holy Spirit will only manifest in power. This passage reminds us that we can be guided by the Holy Spirit in more gentle, relational ways – that may be more long-lasting. Each of the fruits of the Spirit influence others positively in an everyday way.

Exemplifying the fruits of the Spirit is something we can each cultivate. As we scan the list we see that those gifts are good for the person who possesses them but they are meant to be shared. The gifts of the Spirit build community so that we more closely resemble our triune God in whose image we are made – freely giving of ourselves to others.

Have a great week!

Patrick

In honour of Brian Doyle, editor of Portland magazine, author of many wondrous books and my friend, who passed away on 27 May. May he rest in peace

People come into your life

In a variety of ways –

Same street

Same school

Same train

Same job

The age of global communication

Adds a different dimension

This age brought me a friend

Through a rare combination

Of words, of spirit, of soul

Who has supported and fed

This man of words

With many of his own

As I glimpsed

And tried to grasp and express

In my faltering way

Some reflections on humanity, on life

This intensely personal journey,

Begun late,

Evokes strong emotions,

Connected as I am

To each of my pieces

I fancy myself as someone

Who tries to perceive and savour

God’s graces.

The friend who has aided me

On that journey

Sharing his own numinous insights

Is deeply appreciated.

Thanks, Brian

The LORD encourages those who are losing hope (Sirach 17:24)

This passage presumes that the person has not lost hope and is still open, despite their difficulties. Such encouragement can take a variety of forms. It can be the right word at the right time that buoys a person. It might be a smile. It could be consolation while at prayer. It could be hearing a particular passage of Scripture. It could be wise counsel from a trusted friend. We all want our problems to disappear. But it is enough to be granted the grace to see this moment, or this day, through.

A lesson for the young people in our care to learn (and possibly ourselves) is that sometimes the difficulties we face are of our own creation. The way we approach relationships or deal with the world means that we will continue to face this difficulty until we learn to change/grow. This may mean a time where it is ‘two steps forward, one step back’.Our hope lies in our God-given gifts including the human capacity to learn and to grow.

Have a great week!
Patrick

Another influential musician

Has died

There should be sadness

At the passing

Of another human life

But what’s left behind?

Music

Whether it’s the music of

John Lennon

Jimi Hendrix

Kurt Cobain

Now, Chris Cornell

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Howlin’ Wolf

Muddy Waters

B.B. King

Or hundreds of others

Music can touch humans deeply

And despite the different ways

It can affect people

Music provides such

A passionate connection

Among those who live for it

Music excites

It warms

It moves

It connects

One heck of a gift

To leave behind