Tag: renewal

Wanting a different world

Posted on by C4L Contributors

Very few people seem happy with the world today. This is hardly surprising when you see endless pictures of conflicts and hear continual news of exploitation, murder, lies and the rape of the planet. Older people have the common refrain, ‘it was better in our day’ whilst bemoaning the attitude of the younger generation; ‘Gen Z’ say, ‘we have nothing to hope for’ whilst feeling that this is the legacy given them from complacent ‘Baby Boomers’. History is punctuated by various protest movements for change.

God’s Favour

Posted on by Olaf

Some people are born into families where there is no shortage of money and the advantages that it can bring – housing in a ‘nice’ area, lifestyle and educational opportunities.  Others are born into poverty or war-torn countries, perhaps with physical disabilities that make life even harder. It seems an injustice that some have an easy life full of advantages whereas others have few or none.

Holidays

Posted on by Olaf

For many, but not all, a bucket and spade will mean one thing – memories of holidays at the seaside. Why is it that children, young and old, love the seaside? For children, their laughter makes their delight obvious as they splash in the sea, build sandcastles and eat ice-cream. For adults, perhaps it’s being away from routine or responsibilities, being free to play, to read and to indulge in leisure-pleasures. What do you look for in a holiday?

Boxed into a Corner?

Posted on by Olaf

There are many ways we can feel boxed into a corner – for example:

  • Being defined by others rather than who we feel ourselves to be
  • Finding ourselves trapped in a circumstance or role with no apparent way out
  • Feeling locked into a church denomination.

For this duck, it’s as if its wings are clipped and it has no choice but to stay cornered in its hopeless situation. However, it makes a difference if someone has ‘got your corner’ and is actually with you – like a Coach in a boxing match to show you the way out. If you have someone with you, you are no longer alone or without help.  Being stuck can be a thing of the past.

aLPHA and oMEGA

Posted on by Olaf

The word alphabet is a compound of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta.  The English alphabet emerged in the 7th century, far later than the Greek one which was formed around 800 BC.  The final letter of the 24 letters in the Greek alphabet is omega, hence ‘alpha’ and ‘omega’ meaning the ‘beginning’ and the ‘end’ or ‘first’ and ‘last’.  Humans tend to think in terms of beginning and endings in a finite simplistic way but quantum physics tells us that neither zero nor infinity has an actual value! Some scientists say there are a finite number of atoms in an expanding universe whereas others conjecture that they are decreasing. Back to reality – this compost heap has two bins, one is a beginning and the other an ending, but then even that recycling process is a continuum.  When one side is emptied, it then in turn becomes the new side once more. Life is not as simple as Lewis Carroll has it: ‘“Begin at the beginning,” the King said gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop”’ – Alice in Wonderland

  • ‘With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts’ – Eleanor Roosevelt

Relationships

Posted on by Olaf

When it comes to relationships, are you and those around you ‘consumers-of’ or ‘investors-in’?  Have you noticed that the more developed a society becomes, the more consumerist it’s practices?  This leads to overconsumption, excessive production, a throw-away mentality and great waste.  Humankind currently produces two billion tonnes of waste per year between 7.6 billion people.  Perhaps then it is not surprising that littering and fly-tipping are common.  Some would regard graffiti as litter whilst others call it art!  Where are you on the approval-disapproval scale of littering and graffiti … or indeed on your approach to relationships?  Yet sometimes graffiti like the one pictured can make powerful statements rather than throw-away remarks.  The deeper question it provokes is about the quality of relationships that last because of significant inward investment rather than those which are merely consumed and discarded.

  • ‘I’m just a small girl in a big world trying to find someone to love’ – Marilyn Monroe

COMFORT

Posted on by Olaf

What does the word ‘comfort’ mean to you?  To some, it means a lovely handsome slice or two of cake!  For others, it’s going to be booking a holiday, getting the pay bonus, soaking in a long hot bath or perhaps resorting to the bottle.  One list of the top ten comforts taken abroad includes tea bags, slippers, tomato sauce, your own pillow, a dressing gown and a photo of a pet!  Maya Angelou had a very hard life but said this: ‘The best comfort food will always be greens, cornbread, and fried chicken’.  No doubt we all have our own lists but these are all comforts for the body which have a temporary value.  How about the comfort we need for the soul? 

  •  ‘The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy’ – Martin Luther King