A Gift of Time and Space

 Week beginning 5th April 2020

Hi Everyone

What a week this last one has been. It’s felt rather tough for me.

On Monday Roger and I went down to church to clear away the old greenhouse by the kitchen door and to put up a barrier where there was no fence. The greenhouse had got terribly broken through all of the storms we had back in February and is now tied together in the basement ready to sell for scrap. We then noticed that what had been a bricked in window in the basement had developed a huge crack which was letting water in the basement, so we had to take action. Roger purchased some mastic, which is flexible, and we prepared to plug the gap. Roger did his research and discovered that the mastic we had bought is very thick and sticky and isn’t very workable on cold days. The remedy was to keep the tubes warm and then it would flow into the gaps easily. So we found our hot water bottle, filled it with boiling water and put that and the tubes into an insulated bag and off we went. And that’s what we did, filled the crack with both tubes and the warming helped to keep it very pliable on the cold morning that was Monday. Job done.

Then as Roger was motivated to work outside he started clearing a couple of flower beds in our back garden, and as he has to take care of his back, he knelt down to weed and dig over the bed. This then caused an issue with his knee, it swelled up and he was unable to go out on our daily walk.  So I went out for a walk on my own. This time I chose to walk up Hollerday Hill and I took the path to the right on the sharp bend going up. I have never done that part of the walk and the views were spectacular. I walked all the way out to the lone bench with the views over the Valley of Rocks, it was stunning. Then when I was ready I started the walk downhill on the zigzag path. There was a lady with her small children coming up, so I stepped back and allowed her and the children plenty of space. The Mum concerned for her children called out to the one in front “Stay away from the lady”, which the little one did. But as I then walked down the hill, I was so upset. Yes I know we all need to keep our distance and little ones aren’t as aware as we all are, but I still found it upsetting. 

The Psalmist calls out to God about what is going on around him, Psalm 10:1 “O Lord why do you stand so far away?...” he laments throughout psalms 10, 11 and 12 and there is very little that is encouraging. Except there is one phrase  in Psalm 10 and 11 which are easy to miss in the huge amount of  negativity –

“ The Lord is King forever and ever!”10:16

“I will trust in the Lord for protection” 11:1

The Mum didn’t mean to be unkind, but it felt to me in that moment so very painful to hear.  It makes me realise again how important our words are. I saw this on a Facebook page the very next day:

Impact

You never really know the true impact you have on those around you.

You never know how much someone needed that smile you gave them.

You never know how much kindness turned someone’s entire life around.

You never know how much someone needed that long hug* or deep talk.

So don’t’ wait to be kind.

Don’t wait for someone else to be kind first.

Don’t wait for better circumstances or for someone to change.

Just be kind, because you never know how much someone needs it.

(* Keeping all social distancing measures in place!)

Here’s another perspective about our time of lockdown published by a pastor in the USA - Lynn Ungar 11th March 2020

What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath — the most sacred of times?

Cease from travel.

Cease from buying and selling.

Give up, just for now, on trying to make the world different than it is.

Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life. Centre down.

And when your body has become still, reach out with your heart.

Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.

Know that our lives are in one another’s hands.

Do not reach out your hands.

Reach out your heart.

Reach out your words.

Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move, invisibly, where we cannot touch.

Promise this world your love - for better or for worse, in sickness and in health,

so long as we all shall live.

Maybe we are experiencing ‘enforced sabbath’?

Maybe it is God’s way to enable us to press ‘hard reset’?

Maybe it’s a gift?

A gift of time. A gift of space.

We may never has this time and space again in our lifetimes.

This week’s playlist on you tube is available herehttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHnJn7EgQjAzF-OOyYB34s9OZ24nVkkAE

News:

We have heard from Bob, and he is driving ambulances in Bristol during this time, so please add him to your prayers.

Roger’s knee is much better and we are on walks together again. 

Do keep in touch with us and each other

Blessings

Jacquey

Yes, we had some bananas!

 Week Beginning 29th March

Hello Everyone Well, what a week we have all had! So much to get used to, no unnecessary travel, social distancing and only one walk a day. These are challenging times, but we do not need to be in despair or despondent: Let us fix our eyes upon Jesus. Thank you for your words of encouragement we have received by email and phone. Let’s all work hard at keeping in touch with each other. We have set up and invited those who come to the Wednesday Morning Home Group to a hidden Facebook group. Please feel free to use that and all other means of communication. I don’t know about you, but I wasn’t doing much regular exercise before last week, but now Roger and I are going out every day for a walk. What a delight to see the Celandines and Violets flowering in the sunshine. Thank the Lord for the beautiful sunshine we have had. One of the amazing things to have happened, is that as we are regularly walking, we are “meeting” new people – well, people whom we haven’t spoken to in the village due to ‘busyness’. My plan is to continue to chat with as many people as I can within the rules of social distancing and a daily walk. As Living Waters Lynton we are signed up for food waste from Asda Barnstaple, which has helped provide in the past some of the vegetables and desserts for Soup & Sweet. This week we collected 12 boxes of Bananas!!! So many that we had a real problem with what to do with them. Having had a chat with Di Mitchell, the Lynton Zone Captain, she reminded me that we could not allow anyone to collect them from the front of church. So I went round the village with a trusty wheelbarrow delivering to anyone I could find. I dropped a whole box to Garson House, and some to Lyn Health, who were very grateful. I was also able to drop some from a distance to David and Jules as well as John and Susan who are all in isolation. I have continued writing out the Psalms and found that to be very fruitful. “You Lord are a Shield around me; …… I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.” Psalm 3 vs 3 & 5 “Let your face smile on us Lord, You have given me greater joy…. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord will keep me safe.” Psalm 4: vs 6,7,8 In moments when I haven’t gone to sleep easily, to remember this truth has been liberating. Daily we each need to remember “Let all who take refuge in you, Lord, rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection that all who love your name may be filled with joy….. You surround us with your shield of love.” Psalm 5 v 11-12 During these difficult times we do need to focus on the Lord Jesus. The psalmist in Psalm 6 calls out to the Lord in his circumstances: “My vision is blurred by grief, my eyes are worn out because of my enemies.” v7. That got me thinking about “my enemies” in this current time of coronavirus, lockdown and isolation. We all need to consider the questions this raises. Where is our vision? Where are we looking? And again I come back to Psalm 7:1 “I come to you for protection O Lord my God” and v9 “You look deep within the mind and heart, O Righteous God. God is my Shield…” Watch the first video “Two Roads” on this week’s playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHnJn7EgQjAwGfF4wR_Z2bmoibrDvymfD and then worship the Lord using the songs that continue or else find some songs that you like. I have included a video of the story behind a song called “Raise a Hallelujah” and the principle is key for each one of us; Praise the Lord in all circumstances. L.O.C.K.D.O.W.N is a time to Listen to God’s voice and reflect. Let go and Let God. Obey His word and His teachings. Call on Jesus’s name and be calm. Know that God has a purpose for all this. Dwell in His presence. Do not panic. Offer a prayer for everyone’s safety. Wait on the Lord and be patient. This too shall pass. Nurture our personal relationship with God. May you experience the many blessings God has for each of you

Jacquey
Previously published here: https://www.livingwaterslynton.co.uk/post/yes-we-had-some-bananas

Social Distancing and Closeness to God

Week Beginning 22nd March 2020

Hello everyone I thought that I would aim to write to you weekly (amongst other methods of communication) during this challenging time. I must admit that I have found the last few days very challenging personally. There have been moments when I have been afraid and tearful, felt guilty because we are on "holiday" and not doing anything!! But I have chosen to start writing out the Psalms.

I started on 20th March writing out Psalm 1 and there were several verses that really challenged my thinking and outlook.

"Oh the joys of those.... who delight in the law of the Lord; meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither and they prosper in all they do." Ps 1:1a, 2-3

I felt that the Lord was saying to me, meditate, think about and dwell in my Word, the Bible, as that is like roots absorbing moisture and goodness from the stream, so I can absorb goodness and refreshment from the Lord. AS I did so, I felt the anxiety of the current time disappear. Yesterday I wrote out Psalm 2 and that one also seemed relevant for me today. The psalmist cries out that the nations want to free themselves "from slavery to God" but that the right response is to "Serve the Lord... Rejoice with trembling... Submit to God's Royal Son..." and this comes with a promise - "What joy for all who take refuge in Him!" I would like to encourage you to use this opportunity of social distancing to get closer to God. You can do this is many ways: Read scripture. You can start anywhere and read any amount, one verse, one chapter or whole chunks. At home group we had discovered the joy of hearing scripture read out loud. A couple of summers ago some of us read scripture out loud in the Valley of Rocks. You could say it aloud, indoors or outdoors. The most important thing is to read. Pray. There are many useful tips and books as well as Apps for our phones to help. But essentially prayer is just chatting to Jesus about what worriesyou, about what you are glad about, ask for strength, courage, perseverance etc. He really wants you to speak to Him. Also, I would encourage you to read widely and watch YouTube videos of other speakers and churches. As well as this, look at music for worship, as there is music to suit all tastes on YouTube. Watch videos. I would like to encourage you to watch this video by Dr Ed Smith. As we think about the coronavirus (COVID-19), it is important to take note of what we feel. Do we feel anxious, worried, scared, uncertain, depressed, angry or all of the above? Watch the video to hear Dr Ed's thoughts on what we should do during this difficult time.

Dr Ed Smith: “How does the virus make you feel?” https://vimeo.com/398965192

He brings some godly challenge to us in these times. I agree wholeheartedly with the message. Please do take the time to watch and reflect on what he is calling us to think about. Worship. Even though we are unable to meet together we can still worship our Lord who is worthy of our worship. Take time to worship the Lord, Here is a Youtube playlist of three songs to help with this: https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLHnJn7EgQjAwHgs3Ls0c_tZVNf39_jE8m Lots of love to you all  

Jacquey 

 Still alive and well