It sounds like a fairy tale beginning yet it is true to say that, ‘once upon a time’, products were made to last and in times of scarcity, people needed to make things last. Nowadays, partly due to rapidly changing technologies, ‘planned obsolescence’ and customer expectations for the latest model, things we buy have much […]
Do you live in the shadows or in the sun? If you take a few minutes to consider the highs and lows of your life so far, how do you think it adds up? We all want to live on ‘victory hilltop’ but often find ourselves in the ‘valley of defeat’. This can be related to achievements, finances, relationships, moral decisions, faith and our walk with God. Rather than being a steady progression, for many Christians life seems more like a game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’ – one minute riding high and the next crashing down a spiral of disappointment when apparent success has given way to abject failure. This woodland walk is beset with pitfalls from unseen hazards in the shadows but there is a better path heading towards the light. How to get on the path where gains outweigh losses and victory triumphs over defeat?
The fastest known thing in the universe is the speed of light which is 186,000 miles per second. An email makes it to the other side of the planet at nearly half the speed of light which is 670,616,629 mph. A slower means of communication is the post, also known as ‘snail mail’. Most postal systems aim for 1st Class items to be delivered the next working day, though obviously longer for international mail. Snails can travel just over one mph and so can cover 25 metres in the 24 hours! The longest time elapsed between a letter being posted and its delivery is 89 years. This was received in December 2008 by Janet Barrett, a guest-house owner in Weymouth, Dorset, UK and was an RSVP to a Boxing Day party invitation, which had been posted on 29 November 1919. The message inside read:
Life is made up of a rich tapestry – dark and light threads, bright and dull colours, rough and smooth textures. You may have heard it said, turn the cloth one way and it is messy, a bit ugly with tied knots and makes little sense; but then, turn it over, and it is a fine woven lovingly embroidered tapestry telling a beautiful life story. Do you see your life as a work of art full of worship and wonder or as a mess? The Embroiderer calls us to a relationship where the wonder brings out the worship. Or as Thomas Carlisle puts it: ‘Wonder is the basis of worship’.
