Read Psalm 8:2(b) ‘You have founded a bulwark because of your foes’. Reflect Different translations of this verse give us different words to ponder. The New Revised Standard Version says, “You have founded a bulwark”; the New International Version speaks of “a stronghold”; the English Standard Version says, “you have established strength”; and the King…
Read Psalm 8:2 “From the lips of babies and infants you have established strength.” Thinking Despite having reached retirement age, plus a little more, I recently had a new experience. For the first time, I took my grandson to playgroup. We had him for childcare on a different day of the week from usual, and…
Read ‘You have set your glory above the heavens’. (Psalm 8:1b) Think The sky, the stars, and the planets have always fascinated people. Personally, I am very ignorant about the names of the different heavenly bodies, but that does not detract from the wonder of looking at them. When the recent eclipse occurred, something else…
Psalm 1:1 ‘O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth’. Reflection Names are descriptive and sometimes evocative. The name of our church fellowship in Framlingham is predictably unexciting, but it does describe the kind of fellowship we are in a way intended to be clear—although whether it is clear remains…
Read Lamentations 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Think Last week, we thought about the beginning of the Methodist connexional year and the wider question of how the Church marks time through the year. This week, many young people will have…
‘Thus says the Lord:Stand at the crossroads, and look,and ask for the ancient paths,where the good way lies; and walk in it,and find rest for your souls.But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ Jeremiah 6:16 In the Christian Church, we begin our liturgical year at the start of Advent. You probably know that and…
Isaiah 40:31 But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint. (NIV) Thinking I expect that you, like me, have from time to time used the expression, “Give me strength.” Perhaps you…
My recent Thoughts for the Day have focused very much on our summer breaks, and on the important part they can play in helping us recharge our batteries for the year ahead. But life is much bigger, and much longer, than our summer holidays — if we are fortunate enough to have them. For many…
Over the last two weeks I have shared thoughts about making space in our lives for rest and relaxation. For many, summer offers a chance to pause. We have thought about physical space, and about mental and emotional space. Recently, I have been thinking about the value of making space for more than physical rest.…
Mark 6:31: He said to them, ‘Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark chapter 6 is a busy narrative and it provides the seeds for this third in my summer series of thoughts. Jesus…