Vaccinations. Lockdowns. Politics. Money. Religion.
There are certain topics that divide people into “us” and “them” very quickly. Oh, so you’re one of “those” people. Have you heard what “they” said?!
I read the following quote the other day and it made me pause and reflect on our current climate:
Even though this lockdown hasn’t been super long, it feels long enough. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had a bad case of the lockdown blues… nothing tastes good (but I keep eating anyway), each day feels long (but the week flies by), and I keep thinking we’re out of lockdown only to realise many things remain closed or postponed.
I think I understand a little of why the Israelites complained so much during their sojourn in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan; the scenery left much to be desired and their days and weeks blended into monotony. Even the miracles of walking through the red sea, being led by a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day, and receiving bread from heaven paled in wonder as they trudged day after day through the dust.
What a day – rain, hail, wind…
I hope you were all warm and cosy inside.
Rainy days remind me of hot chocolate, fireplaces and poetry.
Here’s a poet/artist I found recently thanks to my friend Jaci – Lori Hetteen (@lorihetteen). You can follow her in Facebook/Instagram. Here’s a selection of a few of my favourites:
As we face another week of lockdown in Melbourne, it’s tempting to soothe our lockdown blues with junk food and Netflix. But while some comfort food & entertainment might bring us temporary relief, to truly feel better & stay well, try to do at least 3 of these healthy practices this week:
And if you’d like an accountability partner to do any of these with, just let us know! We might need someone to encourage us along, too! :).
When I was learning to drive, one of my first problems was learning to stay in the lane. First it would be, ‘you’re too close to the gutter!’ Then, ‘you’re too close to the centre!’
The instructing person (usually one of my parents) would get progressively more agitated that I wasn’t heeding their warnings. I would be checking each side, thoroughly confused as to what I was doing wrong and how to get it right.
My first professional instructor was even less helpful. She said, ‘Bronwyn, you look but you don’t see. You listen but you don’t hear.’ Finally, one day I yelled at her: ‘I don’t know what I am meant to be seeing or hearing! Stop telling me that and just tell me something helpful!’
After that I changed driving instructors.
Yesterday was the 30th anniversary of my baptism.
I was baptised into the Seventh-day Adventist Church on Saturday, 2 March 1991, at my home church in South Korea, the day before we immigrated to the USA.
Every year, I reflect on my journey with God and am amazed at how patient He is with me. He fills in where I lack and I experience grace over and over again.
When’s the last time you looked up at the stars?
Astronomer Kareem El-Badry created a new plot this week (February 22, 2021) of more than a million pairs of binary stars (double stars orbiting a common centre of gravity). You can watch the 3D atlas here.
It’s astounding to think about how many stars there are in our sky – let alone our solar system, galaxy, and universe!
We don’t think about them much, because we cannot always see them.
And even when they’re visible, we aren’t always paying attention. We’re too busy looking down at our phones. Or driving our cars. Or turning on the lights.
When’s the last time you looked up at the stars?
My favourite moment in the U.S. Presidential Inauguration was when Amanda Gorman, aged 22, recited a powerful poem about unity (full video here):
We close the divide, because we know to put our future first,
We must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms
So we can reach out our arms to one another…
Scripture tells us to envision
That everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree,
And no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time,
then victory won’t lie in the blade but in all the bridges we’ve made.
What a courageous call to come together.
Day 1 of NT Wright’s 7-day devotional/prayer challenge – you can join & read the rest here: https://bible.com/…/8de3161a1483a680a6e142df50d42620
“When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“Pray then in this way:
How are you feeling right now?
I’m feeling glad that in Victoria, we are at triple 0 (0 new COVID-19 cases, 0 COVID deaths, 0 active cases). But I’m also feeling anxious for those around the world, especially for my families, who are experiencing record cases in their region. I feel elated that I can walk without my mask on. But I feel anxious about my packed schedule for this week. I feel regret that I was not more empathetic for Joshua this morning when he cried that his socks didn’t fit. I feel proud that Micah went to help him.
In 1980, Psychologist Dr. Robert Plutchik created a “Wheel of Emotions” to help people identify their feelings, because if left unchecked, emotions can intensify. He proposed that there were eight primary emotions that serve as the foundation for all others: joy, sadness, acceptance, disgust, fear, anger, surprise, and anticipation.
