I love to laugh. Just writing those words reminds me of a scene from one of my favourite childhood films – Mary Poppins, where Mary, Bert and the children end up having a tea-party on the ceiling with Uncle Albert, as he sings: “I love to laugh, loud and long and clear!” Every time they start laughing, they levitate. The hidden message is that laughter can lighten your mood and cause you to feel like you’re floating above your circumstances. I have definitely experienced the feeling of relief when I’ve shared light-hearted moments of hilarity with close friends even during the worst seasons of my life, literally feeling myself unwind, like a tightly coiled spring.
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Month: June 2020
Love, Obey, And Hold Tight.
This morning, my Bible studies led me to Deuteronomy chapter 11, where Moses is teaching the children of Israel about the land in which they are going to dwell. He is also reminding them of the importance of God’s law, and why they need to honour and adhere to it. I was particularly struck by the words of verses 22-23. “If you carefully observe all these commands I am giving you to follow—to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him and to hold fast to him— then the Lord will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and stronger than you.”
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Still, by Ines Higgins.
Ines wrote this beautiful poem during the CaronaVirus lockdown here in the UK. It really touched my heart, and she kindly agreed to let me share it with you all. If you’d like to hear more from Ines, you can subscribe to her podcast, “Intentional Purposeful Living With Ines”, or:
Seeking God’s Way In Times Of Stress.
In 1Samuel chapter 30, we read about David having a very bad day. Perhaps that’s an understatement, since his wives and children, and the families of all his men, have been kidnapped by a band of Amalekite raiders who destroyed their camp by burning it to the ground. David was supposed to be helping the Philistines, under whose protection he’s now living, in battle against his own people of Israel, but he’s been sent home with a flea in his ear. Although the Philistine king wanted David’s help, his people weren’t so sure. Would he really remain faithful to them in a battle against his own kinsmen, or would he turn tail and betray them? Was he a double agent, or a spy in their midst? After all, he was once a faithful officer of the Israelite king Saul. He was famous for killing Goliath, one of their own Philistine champions. He was the subject of a well-known Israelite song about how Saul had killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. (1Samuel 29 5.) So although the king had enlisted David’s help and considers him to be loyal, he’s forced to ask him to leave the battle, much to David’s chagrin.
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My Ongoing Journey With The Holy Spirit.
While attending church during my childhood, I began hearing about the Holy spirit and what he did. Since my home church generally taught from the King James Bible, I first knew him as the Holy Ghost, and I thought that sounded a little creepy. Ghosts reminded me of Halloween, something I was never allowed, or even desired, to celebrate. I remember asking my mother about this spooky-sounding holy being, and she told me he was like my conscience – prodding me inwardly when I did or thought something wrong. I figured that was a good thing and didn’t find him quite so scary after that.
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