Above All Love

Today I joined a team from No6 One Stop Shop (Autism Initiatives) in Edinburgh for a walk. It was a lovely walk toward Inverleith Park near the Botanical Gardens and back again. It was nice seeing the swans and blowing the cob webs away. It did get a little cold due to the partial eclipse of the sun. Link here to todays  photo . Sponsors and Donations big or small most welcome . My personal present step count is 63,567 towards 80,000. More than half way there. I will hopefully reach the rest of my goal by Autism Acceptance Day and Month. Watch this space.

As some of you may know I am autistic. I have chosen to walk this year for Autism Initiatives as being late diagnosed I didn't get much help except via No.6 One Stop Shop who are part of Autism Initiative. Two of my kids are also on the waiting list to see if there is neurodiversity in them to. So the matter is close to my heart.          I'm walking for...... Walk for Autism is a fundraising challenge run by Autism Initiatives Group. Autism Initiatives Group is working towards a world where every autistic person has the support they need to thrive, every opportunity to fulfil their potential and a supportive, inclusive community to live in. I'll be walking a total of 10,000 steps a day 26th March and 2nd April to raise money for this charity. Any donation big or small is greatly appreciated 😊

It is good to present our hearts with queries, especially when discerning a sense of calling. In Acts 1:20-24 Judas was gone, and a new mission was therefore available.  In your life, what mission is God calling you to do?  Certainly, it is to become more like Jesus. We are also to be doers of the word, putting our hands to the plough. But, when discerning specifics here are some possible queries: Do you accept you have the call of God on your life?  Do you pray (see v 24)? Do you live in in community with other believers? Do you pay attention to what moves your heart? Do you listen to prophetic words from or tested by scriptures? Do you follow the favour God has on your life? Do you realise you are truly loved? Sometimes stepping into a call can be as simple as serving under someone elses mission to start with. Particularly if you don't know what you are called to yet (e.g, these two men were known to the disciples already v21 so presumably would have already been servin...

"Lord, you have been our dwelling-place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust,  saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals.’ A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night."  Psalm 90:1-4 (NIVUK) A colleague today was speaking about her grief and losses and how they linger on even as life moves on. We both observed that we do indeed live in brevity. We are like puffs of smoke, vapour that appears for a time, then fades away. We are ash and dust. Today is ash Wednesday. Eastern Orthodox Christians, among others, call Lent a season of ‘bright sadness’. It is a time of repentance, a time to recognise our mortality, and a time to think on Christ's death on the cross. It can be a painful time, but the light still shines. In Him, we have our dwelling-place. In Him, we find our hope. "He raise...

Lent is often seen as a time of self-sacrifice, a time to give up something costly or even a pet sin that needs laid upon the proverbial altar and put to death. I have been thinking what I could give up this year.  I have tried a few things over the years, from turning vegetarian to ditching social media, with varied success.  Pondering what is toxic for me at this time and what needs given up during lent and even beyond has brought various ideas.  I have seen various no yell challenges on parenting blogs and I do feel that would help on some level. But, even deeper than that is something I have struggled with more and more, anger.  It is not wrong to be angry as such. Jesus was pretty angry when he flipped those tables. But, it is wrong to sin in anger or to be angry unjustly. God is slow to anger and rich in mercy, we should imitate that. I want to be better at that for sure. I do have knowledge of myself now and know some, though admittedly not all, of my anger ca...

Nonviolent relent World of bloodstained wariors Wilderness voices