Dear Friends
I am steadily working through one the newer resolutions that I set myself, namely attempting to listen afresh to at least one album from my extensive (and for the most part forgotten and unappreciated) record collection. It was mainly bought in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s, augmented by my brother's collection which he passed on to me when he moved to the US in 1988. After that, for nearly 30 years, CDs and then digital downloads were the only forms of music that I bought, but the lure of vinyl has come slowly back!
I’ve found it interesting how my tastes and preferences have changed over time. Whilst some former favourites seem a bit tired, other speculative buys from the past which after an initial hearing were consigned to the back of the box (not literally of course as my personality type demands that they are all stored alphabetically!), have on second listening become quite special. I find that I appreciate more, some music which initially was a bit more taxing, and not immediately satisfying. Safe to say there have been a number of pleasant surprises and welcome re-discoveries, and I anticipate that they will continue throughout the rest of the year.
Such is the case then for musical surprises, but I also find them coming anew when reading afresh God’s word; the bible. It’s good to break away from simply our favourite texts or our purple passages and be exposed to the whole bible (including the passages that are a bit more taxing). Another common resolution of mine is to read through systematically, (or usually chronologically) the whole Bible. Again I am struck by how some of the more complex writing (that I might have shied away from in my youth), holds within it, some of the deeper truths of God, which may prove more durable in the long run.
Indeed, over the next three Sundays, after studying the early days of Jesus as conveyed by Luke in his gospel, we’re going to switch across to the gospel of John, following in depth some of the Jesus accounts found there. I hope and pray that we might be open to the surprises and re-discoveries we will make along the way! In the meantime;
Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.
Simon
I am steadily working through one the newer resolutions that I set myself, namely attempting to listen afresh to at least one album from my extensive (and for the most part forgotten and unappreciated) record collection. It was mainly bought in the late 70’s and throughout the 80’s, augmented by my brother's collection which he passed on to me when he moved to the US in 1988. After that, for nearly 30 years, CDs and then digital downloads were the only forms of music that I bought, but the lure of vinyl has come slowly back!
I’ve found it interesting how my tastes and preferences have changed over time. Whilst some former favourites seem a bit tired, other speculative buys from the past which after an initial hearing were consigned to the back of the box (not literally of course as my personality type demands that they are all stored alphabetically!), have on second listening become quite special. I find that I appreciate more, some music which initially was a bit more taxing, and not immediately satisfying. Safe to say there have been a number of pleasant surprises and welcome re-discoveries, and I anticipate that they will continue throughout the rest of the year.
Such is the case then for musical surprises, but I also find them coming anew when reading afresh God’s word; the bible. It’s good to break away from simply our favourite texts or our purple passages and be exposed to the whole bible (including the passages that are a bit more taxing). Another common resolution of mine is to read through systematically, (or usually chronologically) the whole Bible. Again I am struck by how some of the more complex writing (that I might have shied away from in my youth), holds within it, some of the deeper truths of God, which may prove more durable in the long run.
Indeed, over the next three Sundays, after studying the early days of Jesus as conveyed by Luke in his gospel, we’re going to switch across to the gospel of John, following in depth some of the Jesus accounts found there. I hope and pray that we might be open to the surprises and re-discoveries we will make along the way! In the meantime;
Keep safe
Keep in touch
Keep the faith.
Simon
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