Cor, Stone Me!

Yesterday was a most fulfilling day.  My wife Nicola and I travelled to Arran.  It was a good crossing from Ardrossan (both going and returning) and we enjoyed some wonderful sights on Arran, including the mountains and deer.  My compliments to ScotRail as well.  Our journey between Glasgow and Ardrossan was via a clean, efficient, on time train with a good number of powerpoints to plug mobile phones and laptops into and free WiFi which was easy and quick to access which meant one did not have to waste a lot of time typing in names, emails, phone numbers etc etc just to get near the internet.

On Arran we visited Sannox Christian Centre.  At present there is an old Congregational Church there but the vision for the retreat centre is BIG!  It will take great faith and commitment and considerable money.  Why not check out the vision online - http://www.sannox.org/

Holding or falling?

While at the site of this exciting Christian vision Nicola took the photograph of me that you see here.  Am I holding up the stone or is it holding me up?  Well, if you look from one angle it can look very much like I am indeed superhuman and able to hold up a gigantic stone that is falling over.  In reality of course having leaned forward if the stone was not there I would not have to lean much further before I would tumble and fall flat on my face!  I am certainly not superhuman.

I wonder how often we give the illusion of holding up the things around us?  We may feel we do that with people around us, or situations.  But perhaps sometimes actually it is an illusion and the reality is that we are almost ready to topple.  It may be the very thing we think we are holding up is the only thing stopping us from falling flat on our faces!

The amazing standing stone in the photograph could not be held up by my feeble efforts.  But I could lean my whole strength against it and know that it could hold me up.  This has got to be an image of Jesus.  You can lean on him as forcefully as you like.  He will never let you down.  He will never collapse under us.  He will always be reliable.  He will always stand and will always catch us when we fall.  I believe this fervently with all my heart.