Local groups meeting informally

This page lists simple and organic church groups meeting in and around St Neots (within a twenty mile radius). At least, it lists those I'm aware of; if you are part of a group not listed here please let me know and I will add your details. (Where there are no contact details, get in touch through me, Chris Jefferies, 07775 850783).

• Great Doddington
• Northampton, Paul Veitch, 0745 109 2222
• Oundle
• St Neots, Chris Jefferies, 07775 850783 (3 meetings)

Sharing soup with strangers

Here's what happened when we took some tentative first steps in reaching out in Huntingdon. We enjoyed good soup, met interesting people, had some great conversations, and found that Jesus was with us and took us straight to the right places and people.

Huntingdon town centre

Back in December Sean told me that he wanted to do something positive for people on the streets.

Reading Chris Duffett's blog I'd found a story about Louise Frood, a young Baptist pioneer who had taken soup and bread onto the High Street looking for people who are hungry, lonely or willing to talk.

Sean had taken this very much to heart and wanted to do something similar. We decided there and then to put 5th January into our diaries and make a start.

Giving it a try - On Sunday 5th I drove over to Sean's with two large vacuum flasks and a pile of paper cups. Sean was already making leek and potato soup when I arrived and we filled the flasks, drove to Huntingdon, and set out to walk the streets from about ten o'clock.

It was a fresh morning, the shops were not yet open, and there were only a few people around. We walked down the High Street, looped around the back and returned. Then Sean suggested another street where he thought there would be someone selling the Big Issue and, sure enough, there was. We poured out some soup and sat on the pavement to talk, soon getting to know Richard a little and having some good conversation. We were with Richard for quite some time; when we decided to move on again he suggested we try the bus station.

Sure enough, the bus station is a warm place to go when the streets are cold and there we found Paul and Matt. Sean spent some time chatting with Paul, while I sat next to Matt and quickly discovered we had a lot in common. Matt has recently lost his job and has nowhere to live at the moment. He follows Jesus and has a similar understanding about church to Sean and me. All three of us have a strong sense that we are supposed to meet again; we are waiting to see where the Holy Spirit will lead us.

The results - Now, just a week later, Matt is using the spare room in my house and Sean is out on the soup run again. I can't make it today, but plan to be back in Huntingdon with him again next Sunday. Watch this space!

For me, the take-home message is that on our first day of obedience in taking soup to Huntingdon, Sean and I found three interesting people. A tiny amount of obedience led immediately to a remarkable result [Tweet it!]. Neither of us had the faith to expect such an outcome, both of us know we must continue whether or not amazing things like this happen every time.

In the end the outcome is not in our hands, but in Jesus' hands. He provides, he leads, he sends us but he also accompanies us. Who could want a greater guide and friend than that?

Questions: 

• Are you willing to take a risk with your time, your money or your reputation?
• Have you ever tried reaching people you don't already know?
• What could you do to open up possibilities for conversation? How will you make significant contact?

See also:

• Be the Light
• Huntingdon - Wikipedia
• Pioneer Collective, The
• Pioneer Collective, The - Be the light

Food banks in the UK

Food banks are now common in the UK; many people are in difficulties because of the heavy cost of housing, ever increasing fuel bills and low income. These costs are unlikely to fall, and continuing pressure on earnings leaves many families unable to cope.

Part of the Food Bank warehouse

Food banks are operating in every part of the world, not just in the UK. Wherever the need exists volunteers are doing their best to help, but it's not always easy.

In Britain the Trussell Trust and FareShare UK make it relatively straightforward to start a local food charity.

Local action - The St Neots Food Bank in my own town was started by a group of churches in the summer of 2013 and began distributing food packages in October; they used the Trussell Trust model and have found the guidance, materials and expertise provided by them very helpful. The photo shows stored food being catalogued before being used to make up food packages for distribution.

The process - This is straightforward in principle, but needs dedicated time and effort by teams of volunteers.

• The food is non-perishable (canned and dry products) and is donated by churches, schools, and individual shoppers via collection days at supermarkets.
• Donated food is taken to the warehouse, weighed, labelled, sorted and stored in crates. Packages for distribution are made up in a range of sizes intended to last for three days.
• Packages are taken to two distribution centres in the town.
• Local organisations are given Food Bank Vouchers to give out when they become aware of a need. Voucher holders include schools, the Citizens Advice Bureau, doctor's surgeries and so forth.
• People who have received a voucher take it to a distribution centre and exchange it for a food package.

This approach enables the Food Bank to focus on collecting, managing and providing food supplies without being involved in deciding who is in need. The voucher-holding agencies have the responsibility and necessary knowledge to do this.

Why are food banks needed? - It is, of course, right and good that churches and other groups are willing and able to provide this service to the community. And it's wonderful that the public and local businesses are willing to donate food and help in so many other ways. In St Neots a local furniture shop provides much of the warehouse and office space and additional storage has been given by another business.

But why is it necessary? Why, in twenty-first century Britain, is there a need (and, it has to be said, a steadily growing need) for food banks? [Tweet it!] There are a number of reasons and they have to do with the economy but also with government action (or lack of it, or too much of it). There has been some debate, but not enough appropriate action.

I'm not going to elaborate here, instead I'll point you to this recent article in The Guardian.

Questions:

• Does it surprise you that food banks are becoming much more common in the UK?
• How do you think government policy might be changed to reduce the need for them?
• Do you think things will be better or worse in two years time?
• Is there anything you can do to help address local needs?

See also:

• FareShare UK - Home page
• Food banks - Wikipedia
• Food banks: cowardly coalition can't face the truth - The Observer
• Global food bank community - GFBN
• Global Food Banking Network, The - GFBN home page
• St Neots - Wikipedia
• St Neots Foodbank - Home page
• Trussell Trust, The - Home page

Cornerstone - Prayer for St Neots

< 27th May 2012 | Index | 15th January 2013 >

Two of us met at Cornerstone to talk about a Ffald-y-Brenin style house of prayer in St Neots. That's not going to work well with just the two of us so we're interested to meet anyone else who is like-minded. Meanwhile we plan to meet weekly to talk and pray further.

A friend (another Chris) and I met at Cornerstone for coffee yesterday to consider the way forward for a house of prayer for the town. We've discussed this before, last time we met at Costa some weeks before Christmas.

Chris feels quite strongly drawn to the Ffald-y-Brenin approach to the house of prayer, I'm feeling that I'd like to be involved but can't offer a large amount of time as I'm already so busy. We agreed to meet weekly for a time and see how it goes. Today we spent quite a while chatting about the situation and finding out a bit more about one another's views.

We prayed specifically that Father would send workers into the harvest here in St Neots and the area around it. In particular we asked for more people to be sent initially to join us in prayer. We also prayed for blessing on our local area and for protection for Cornerstone in the midst of some difficulties they've faced recently, for the manager Paul and his wife Michelle, for the staff and the volunteers, and for the customers.

Others in the area - If you're reading this, and you live in or near St Neots, and you feel called to pray for the town, please drop me an email - chris@scilla.org.uk . We'd love to meet you!

We also thought about visiting other groups of believers around the town, the Baptists, The River, Open Door, and two of the three Anglican congregations got a mention. I'd like to visit every group in the town. There are at least a dozen of them.

Chris and I plan to meet in Cornerstone again next week, and after that we'll probably decide what to do as we go along. It's going to be an interesting journey of discovery in praying for St Neots.

Questions:

• Have you read the book about Ffald-y-Brenin ('The Grace Outpouring', link below)?
• Are you involved in praying for the area where you live?
• Can you pray out of blessing and call blessing down on those around you?
• Are you in touch with other groups of believers in your area?

See also:

• Cornerstone Cafe and Books
• Ffald-y-Brenin
• St Neots - Wikipedia
• The grace outpouring - Journeys of heart and mind

< 27th May 2012 | Index | 15th January 2013 >

RESPONSE - Making Links

Someone is disappointed and upset, the local paper gets hold of the story, and before you know it the front pages of the national newspapers have jumped onto what is becoming a rapidly growing bandwagon. What am I referring to? The developing furore over a small group of women called 'Making Links'.

I'll say straight away that I am not a member of and do not represent 'Making Links', St Neots Town Council, or the Open Door Church.

It's easy to understand how frustrating it is to be told that a particular organisation is not for you. And it would be very helpful for the people involved to be able to talk about the issues in a friendly way over a nice cup of coffee. But the heat and anger now being expressed in print using heavily loaded words like 'banned' and 'racist' is making gentle dialogue almost impossible. It may sell more newspapers, but it doesn't help anyone understand the situation. And it's a great way of polarising opinion, stoking up anger, and setting people against one another.

I'm disappointed that some news organisations should promote dissension over understanding. Selling extra copies of a paper is held to be more important than fostering cooperation and harmony. Using loaded words trumps explaining the facts.

What are the facts? Despite the angry headlines we don't really know! The reports tell us that two British mums were turned away from a group created to help foreign women. It seems the group is funded by a government department, the local authority, a local church, and several businesses. There's a little more detail, some comments from the mums involved, from the group's administrator, and from someone at the Equality and Human Rights Commission. It's not much to go on.

As a result of the news coverage the local MP and some of the funding bodies have already expressed opinions and are considering closing the group down (again, according to press reports).

Meanwhile it must be very difficult for 'Making Links'. What are they to do? The money was granted for them to help foreign women, they would certainly have been criticised for spending it on local residents who are not from overseas! It might be helpful to have a few British mums involved, but where would they stop and how would they decide who to accept and who to turn away?

There are no easy answers. But talk of closing the group without knowing more is surely over reacting and premature. What is needed first (and soon) is for the group organisers, the funding bodies, the local MP, and the offended mums to sit down together over that cup of coffee and find out what happened, why it happened, and what might have been done better.

But hey, don't pay too much attention to the strong, divisive, angry words in those newspapers. (This Google search will provide links to the story as it develops.)

As a non-involved resident of St Neots and a follower of Jesus I am praying about this situation. I am asking for cool heads, for hearts filled with love and grace, and for wise decisions based on information about what happened. I'm confident that this will happen.

Father, please bless the two mums who were turned away, their children, the foreign women in the group, the organisers and volunteers who run 'Making Links', and the people who fund the group.

Demolishing the old office - the video

A few days ago I promised you a video clip of the demolition. Here it is. This clip shows the hydraulic crushing jaws at work on a steel reinforced concrete floor in the building that once included my office.



It's an extraordinarily quiet way to bring down a building, there is no loud noise, no great vibrations underfoot as large pieces of masonry come down. It's all crushed in situ and the pieces that fall are relatively small. There is awesome power in these steel jaws. The machine eats through concrete like a child nibbling chocolate.

Just do it!

Previous | Part 2 of a series | Next

We're in the early stages of planning for a youth camp for St Neots in 2009. We didn't decide to do this, it is just happening to us - and it's great! Why is the church sometimes so sluggish in getting things done? We'll come back to that question later, but first you should hear a little news.

Last Monday (1st September) we had a meeting to pray, discuss, and think about young people in St Neots. Jim, Sean and I were joined by Ben and Pete. After introductions, Pete told us about his background and explained about the camps he runs for young people in the Bedford area. By the end of the evening we had the beginnings of a plan, Pete had been proactive and booked space for a hundred young people next summer. We were astonished and encouraged. 'Just do it' is an effective way forward!

So, back to our question, 'Why is the church sometimes so sluggish in getting things done?'

It all comes down to an inability to 'just do it'. What prevents us? The answer to this lies deep in our understanding of what church is. The New Testament writers often refer to the church in a particular place, sometimes it's a city or town, sometimes it's a house, but significantly it's rarely anything between these two extremes.

Paul could write to the church in Corinth or Ephesus, but if he was writing today and addressed a letter to the 'Church in St Neots' or the 'Church in Cambridge' who would read the letter? Would it be delivered to the largest Anglican Church in town? Or would it go first to the Catholics, or the Baptists, or the United Reformed Church? Middle sized organisations of that kind were unknown in Paul's day, when he wrote to the church in a city he was writing to a single entity consisting of all the believers in that place.

But when he mentions the church that meets in Nympha's house or the church that meets in Priscilla and Aquila's house he knows exactly what he means. Not a gathering of 200 or 300 believers meeting in one place, but a small group meeting in an ordinary home. Clearly, a number of these small groups cooperated as the church in the city.

When we meet in large groups of several hundred we need a system of management and we need committees or a hierarchy to make decisions. Proposals have to be approved, resources must be made available, and discussions held to agree the details. This may take significant amounts of time. When we meet in a home decisions can be made there and then as we pray and share our thoughts and receive guidance through the Spirit.

Yahshua did not spend a lot of time planning. Instead he reacted to whatever he saw or heard. He always reacted in love towards the Father or towards the people he met, or both. Sometimes he reacted in anger, usually his reaction came in the form of teaching, questions, or action of some sort, but kindness and grace were present in everything he did - always. Everything he did was for the Father's glory, he healed the sick, he revealed the truth, he comforted the distressed and the broken-hearted. Not only did he bring good news, he was good news. Indeed he is The Good News. The good news is the news that the Messiah has come and brings healing and reconciliation.

What he did we are called to do too. If we plan less but begin to react to whatever we see and hear he will work in us and through us to glorify the Father. Acts of heavenly kindness and grace will replace acts of earthly mind and will. This is a hard lesson to learn because it runs counter to intuition and common sense, but it's a lesson we must learn if we're to become more fully fruitful and effective in the Kingdom.

This is not to say that larger organisations cannot react quickly or spontaneously in response to specific issues, just that they find it much harder than small groups.

We need to learn to be like the Master, to be good news wherever and whenever possible. Not merely to speak the good news, but to live it individually by responding right away in love and grace.

Previous | Part 2 of a series | Next

Living in fear in St Neots

Previous | Part 1 of a series | Next

I've just read a distressing news report about a local family that are having their lives ruined by thoughtless, cruel, young people throwing stones at their home, calling out abusive remarks, and even breaking windows. The news report is online, take a look for yourself.

Let's list out a few basic facts about the situation and about me. After all, I live in St Neots, I am involved whether I wish to be or not, I'm part of this community.

• The young people doing this are probably bored, perhaps they have nothing useful to keep them occupied. They probably get swept along in the moment, they each want to outdo the others. It's cool to do this stuff. There may be one amongst them who leads them into stuff they wouldn't otherwise do.


• The police are only able to respond to crimes that are committed, they don't have the remit or the people to deal with any underlying problem.


• The church will feel sorry that this has happened, but will think, 'What can we do?'


• The people being victimised can do little to help themselves.


• The neighbours will feel, 'I'm not getting involved otherwise I'll be next.'


• I'm thinking hard about what I should do...
  

Mallard Lane is not the most prosperous part of town, hardship is a reality for some and local people are struggling with issues which include vandalism. Here's a map of the area (you can also view a larger map). The pin in the map just marks the street, not the position of the household under attack.

So what can I do? What can anyone do?

Here's what I propose, I will begin by praying.

I'll share this story with the friends I meet with on Thursdays, we can pray together.

If you're reading this and would like to pray too that would be great. The main things I'm asking as a start are

• That I'll be shown clearly what, if anything, I am to do.


• That the trouble will stop and the pressure be lifted.


• That the woman in the story will be healed.

That's a start. But in practical terms here's what I'm thinking.

• Make contact with the people who are being victimised.


• Invite them round for a BBQ some time soon.


• Send letters to the local church explaining the background and asking for prayer and any practical input they feel led to offer.


• Consider encouraging a meeting to include the victims, the police, young people from the area (if possible), the church, neighbours, other organisations that might be able to offer support, help, or advice.

So far I have little idea where the Lord will lead me in this, but I know it would be wrong to 'just forget'. I'll post to the blog again to let you know what happens next.

Previous | Part 1 of a series | Next

Photography, something I love

Previous | Part 2 of a series | Next

We should all find, make, or steal the time to do at least one thing that we really, really love. Come on now, you know I'm right. In this modern age there are so many pressures on us that sometimes we struggle just to get from one day to the next. The trouble with that is simple. You will only live this day one single time, you have just one bite at it. So spend part of it doing something fun, or rewarding, or delightful. It's not decadent to do that, it's an expression of who you are, to yourself, to your family, to friends and aquaintances, and to the King of Creation too. Unless of course you think he's not interested in who you are, or think he doesn't exist. But even then, you still owe it to yourself and to those around you to express the real you.

Something I love is to capture images of things that impress me by their beauty, things that amaze me.

Here's a slideshow of photos I took during the last two months. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoyed taking them. Leave me a comment and tell me which image is your favourite (and why).

You can also open the full version of the gallery with options for viewing the photos at much larger sizes, or even downloading the originals. Each picture tells a story, can you work out what it might be? Once you're in the full gallery you can comment on each picture individually if you want to.

Previous | Part 2 of a series | Next

Walking around Huntingdon

Back in the middle of May (Sunday 11th) I took part in a prayer time at Huntingdon. The intention was to have small groups of people at intervals around the ring road, praying for the town and for the surrounding area. Not many turned up on the day and I decided that the best thing to do was to walk round the entire circuit.

As I walked I found myself caught up in a conversation with the Lord, it was amazing. Things I saw along the way prompted questions and the answers kept on coming. Often there were words that seemed to come without prompting too. I jotted it all down.

Daisies in the grass
The sun was shining and I came to a patch of grass liberally sprinkled with daisies. So beautiful.

And the Lord said...

As the daisies cover the grass in summer, so will my people cover the earth.

And I prayed, 'If you command it, Lord, it shall be done.' What he says always happens, his voice alone is sufficient cause and his word is always effective.

Restoration is coming
The Spirit reminded me of Acts, chapter 1. Jesus told his disciples, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you in a few days.' One of them asked him if this was the time for the restoration of Israel. He told them not to worry about the what or the when, all they needed to know was that he was sending them to the ends of the earth and his Spirit would be on them.

It seems we are still in this mode of operation, the Church is supposed to go to the ends of the earth and the Spirit of Christ is on us. We are not to be concerned about anything else, really. That seems pretty straightforward, doesn't it? Where are the 'ends of the earth'? They are Huntingdon, here wherever I am, if you are a believer they are wherever you are, and his Spirit is on you. You may not think so, it might not feel like it - but it's true. The church is to become like those daisies - sprinkled liberally everywhere. Beautiful.

Inside and outside
As I walked on I found myself thinking about the town inside the ring road and the countryside and villages being outside.

And the Spirit spoke to me...

What is inside the ring road is inside, what is outside is outside. I have come to bring life in fulness to all who will receive it - inside the city and in the countryside too.

The word 'city' interests me because Huntingdon is a market town, not a city. Perhaps 'city' hints at the Church, some are in the church and others are not. Does this mean that he's come to bring fulness of life to everyone? To all who will receive it? Many in the Church think they already have it, but it's on offer to all.

One direction
The traffic always flows clockwise around the ring road. Huntingdon is not a large town so the ring road is quite small and it's not necessary to have a multi-lane highway. It doesn't take long to drive right around it.

And the Lord said...

As the traffic flows around, always in the same direction, and as the people in the world are all moving in one direction (to oblivion), so I am there saying, 'Come to me all who are struggling with life. Rest is in me, peace is in me, life is in me and only in me.

I am with you
I stopped from time to time to pray as there were not enough of us to pray everywhere at once.

And he said...

Wherever you stop and pray - I am with you.

I don't think he was just talking about me, or just about Huntingdon. But whenever we pray we involve him in what we are doing.

Focusing on a particular need
The Spirit said to me...

Just by asking you bring my power to focus on a particular point, a particular need. Nothing you ask is wasted or goes unnoticed. It is all precious, it is all gathered and productive, it all touches my heart.

Expecting more
He told me...

I do not do what you expect, I do what I expect which is much better. You ask for a person, but I grant an army. You ask for a flower but I grant a field full of flowers. Always expect to receive more than you ask, better than you can imagine.

I forgot my hat
It was a hot, sunny day and as time passed I began to regret not having brought my hat. I didn't mind the heat but I wondered if I'd end up with sunburn on my forehead and the back of my neck. A row of trees protected me for a while, and then there was a long gap with more trees in the distance. But just as I reached the gap a cloud covered the sun and the shade lasted until I reached the next section of trees.

The Lord said to me...

When you forget your hat I will send a cloud or a row of trees. The heat will not burn you up or harm you for I am your Shelter and your Shepherd.

He was reminding me that he cares about even the smallest detail of our lives. Too much sun is not a good thing, though it's hardly a big issue in the grand scheme of things. But the Almighty cares about us on a much deeper level than that, so the cloud and the trees are a reminder to me that he will always protect his people spiritually. He will cover us and shelter us.

Wasteland
As I continued around the ringroad, I came to an area that had been churned up by mechanical diggers. Their tyre marks were everywhere and there was hardly a blade of grass or healthy plant to be seen. There was a great pile of earth close to the road. What a mess!

And the Lord said...

Even when the landscape looks like a pile of barren earth, I will turn it into shady glades of green with a stream of pure, cold water and the songs of a thousand birds - for I AM life.

Sitting in the sun
Next I came to a place where there was a man sitting in the sunshine on the doorstep of his home. I crossed the road so that I could speak with him. I told him that I was walking around Huntingdon praying for the town and the people living there, and I asked him if he'd like me to pray for him in any way. He told me, no, but he thanked me for stopping and asking.

The Police Station
I stopped at the Police Station and explained to the guy on duty what I was doing. I asked him if he'd like me to pray for anything in particular; for himself or for the Police in general.

He told me that they were quite overworked just recently and said that he'd be very grateful if I'd pray for them in a general way. I told him that I'd pray for the officers and for their families too.

Small numbers don't matter
Thinking again about the small number of people who turned up for this prayer time, I became aware of the Lord saying to me, 'What counts is not your numbers but your obedience.'

Litter and trees
Next was an area where some litter had been dropped and was blowing around in the breeze. There were also some young saplings nearby, growing vigorously and swaying gracefully with the movement of the air.

And the Spirit said...

People drop litter, I grow trees. I will not do what you do, and you cannot do what I do. Concentrate on being my people, I'll do the doing. You be - I'll do.

Litter is dead, dropped paper rots away and releases the carbon it's made from. But trees are alive, they absorb carbon and construct wood from it. And wood is the raw material from which we make paper. And so it seems that if I am busy doing something I will be working in one direction, but when the Lord works everything is going in the opposite direction. What I do is death, what he does is life. What I do is breaking down, what he does is building up.

How many people?
Then he suddenly put a question into my mind.

Do you know how many people have passed by while you were walking around Huntingdon? I do! And I know who is mine; and I care for all my sheep.

Monumental mason
I was now getting close to the place where I began my walk. I passed the office and workshop of William Peacock who are stone masons making gravestones and memorials. As I was thinking about this, Father said,

Will you make a monument for me or one for yourself? I don't need a monument, and neither do you for you belong to me and your life is in me.

The road and the woodland
While I was passing a small piece of woodland he said to me...

The road is of man, but the life is in me.

If men and women suddenly disappeared from the earth and you could come back 100 years later and look, would the road be encroaching into the woodland or would the woodland be recapturing the road? Life wins! It really does. Here too, there is a spiritual lesson for those with eyes to see.

Walking in the light (KN)

That's what this blog is all about, I've been trying to catch those special moments when something is clearly illuminated for me and, if I can, explain them in mere words.

Of course words are just not up to the job, but they're a start. A picture here and there helps, images are like short-cuts to the heart, worth a thousand words as the old adage has it.

But best of all is for each of us to walk in his light so that we all receive it fresh and first hand. You don't need my stale, second-hand light, you need your own, straight from the source.

I was walking along the riverbank yesterday, the sky was cloudy but with blue patches dotted around. The air was chilly and a light mist was starting to rise from the river. And then I was dazzled by the light...

A bend in the footpath brought me into full view of the river, and low above the trees on the opposite bank the full strength of the sun hit me full in the face. Not only that! Reflected by the calm water surface, there was a second beam of golden light, it caught me full in my face as well.

This was seriously bright light, the light of two suns! The photo doesn't even come close; you can't properly illustrate something like that. (To get a photo at all I had to move to one side and take the picture with the sun filtering through the leaves of the trees to reduce its strength.)

So what did I discover from this experience?

* The first thing I noticed is that when I looked straight at the light I saw... Light! I couldn't see the real sun, nor could I see the sun reflected in the water. They were far too bright. All I could see was the light, not the source of the light.
* Secondly I noticed that although I could see the opposite bank of the river, and some trees, everything was indistinct. Details were difficult to make out in the glare, close to the source of the light it was hard to see anything.
* Thirdly I noticed that when I turned around, the fields and trees illuminated by the light were very distinct and clear. Looking back at the world, back where I'd come from, things were clearly and brightly illuminated. I could see everything!

Do you think this is true of the light from heaven too? I think it is!

The source of the light is the Mighty One himself, who among us can look on him and see his face? Perhaps it's good for us to remember that although we can see the light of his glory, we cannot see any detail; he is too bright for us. He is more wonderful than we can yet understand. Our senses and our imagination are just not up to the job.

Can you imagine a light twice as bright as the sun? A thousand times as bright? A billion times as bright? Neither can I, yet the Almighty is far, far brighter than that!

Do you know what heaven is like? In part, yes, but only in part. You won't have full knowledge in this life, just hints, bits and pieces of information. Do you know what is in another person's mind? Only in part, even if you know someone well there is not complete knowledge. You can't fully know because you can't stand in that friend's place. Neither can you know heaven because you do not stand there, the detail is lost in the glare streaming from the face of the Holy One.

But when I turn around and look at the world, what do I see? I see more clearly now than before I believed. I see more fully than I did a year ago. Why? because I'm learning more and more to see in the light that shines out from heaven. Yahshua said, 'I'm the light of the world'. It's true, seen in his light the details of the world become clear. What was hidden is now plainly visible, what was lost can now be rediscovered, instead of stumbling in the dark we are now able to walk in the light! I was blind, but now I see!

I'm still just beginning to learn to walk in his glorious light. But every day he shows me more precious truths. Praise him! HalleluYah!

Comments copied from the original Chris Jefferies' Blog.
--

Comment from: Steph [Member] Email · http://www.es-creative.com
What a peaceful scene.

I'd like to bring a thermos of tea and go for a walk there.

Thanks for the photos! Keep 'em coming!
21/10/04 @ 06:04

Comment from: Steph [Member] Email · http://www.es-creative.com
I keep coming back to this first photo. There is such a sense of peace on it, and in it.

It's edifying just to look at the photograph; I wonder how much more enriching it would be to be stomping up the bank, feeling the cool air of the river on my face?

Isn't it wonderful to enjoy God's great majesty of this creation?

Thank you for taking the time to post it. Not everyone gets to live so near a river and enjoy the natural beauty there.

SB
23/10/04 @ 04:20

Comment from: Kay Harvey [Visitor]
I get everyones koinonialife mail but not long after I registered yahoo began saying my address was not registered though I saw it was and after much confusion I settled for listening, not responding. I was new at the computer and in fear I'd mess up receiving, I left it alone. I read you alot after I finish others for the same reason you told us accidently, what you thought of Jay. I don't have many people left here to the richness of Him that comes from a long walk with Him that is of a similar trail as mine. I notice you notice nature,His awesome thoughts which at 5 years old made me want to find how to talk to Him. My mom didn't know, she said if I did'nt doubt and I realized I did so I left Him in the sky till 15 and He fixed her mistake. I have known Him 36 years now and have a big garden to go escape with Him in. It is spring here in Florence Alabama USA and my roses and amaryilles, and daylillies are comming out, reminders of His awesome thoughts. I thank the Lord for Him in you. In Christ, Kay Harvey
08/05/05 @ 11:55