The boys are back in town......

The boys are back in town, having thoroughly enjoyed their fellowship in the not quite wilderness, both keen to enjoy a long soak in the bath. Sam agreed it was good to try something he hadn't experienced before and would not rule out doing it again despite the wet weather, numerous frogs, flying insects and a dead rat.  Talk of fun games, good food and lengthy conversations about God really made me happy.

Incidentally when Aaron arrived home from camp I was on the phone and he commented on the breadth of my smile as I chatted and asked who I was chatting to.  I told him it was Aunty Shad, my sister....................... Time spent in her company, even when it is just on the phone is just an enormous blessing.  We take time to listen to each other, offer advice and just encourage each other.  We always finish our conversations feeling like conquerors and today (day 247) I am truly thankful.

With the Paralympic Games opening ceremony underway inspirational stories are in abundance and stop you in your tracks; not stories of pity, but as a commentator said, stories of how people have chosen to react to adversity.................  A story I hadn't heard before was that of Martine Wright who will be competing in the sitting volleyball competition. Wright lost both of her legs in the Aldgate underground explosion in the 7/7 London bombings in 2005.  She lost 80% of the blood in her body and was in a coma for ten days and had to undergo ten months of surgery following the injury. (Wikipedia)


 Commitment and Courage

'Rise up...take courage and do it.' Ezra 10:4

Terry Fox ran across Canada and raised twenty-four million dollars  to fight cancer. What's amazing is that he did it with one leg; cancer had taken the other. He planned to run twenty-six miles each day but because of severe headaches, snow and icy roads, after a month he'd only managed to struggle about eight miles a day. So why did he keep going? Because the purpose in his heart was stronger than the pain in his body. They could amputate his leg, but not his spirit! Commitment is a willingness to do whatever it takes; it's a promise to yourself, from which you refuse to back down. There's a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested you do it only when it's convenient, but when you're committed you accept no excuses-only results. Only you can decide whether the rewards are worth the effort, for there are trade-offs. You can't have a healthy body and live on junk food. A guaranteed salary is nonexistent when you start your own business. Mindless hours of watching television and straight 'A's' are a rare combination. Commitment means paying your dues. It also means disregarding your critics. Jesus did that. 'But Jesus ignored their comments and said...'Don't be afraid. Just trust me' (Mark 5:36 TLB). Ralph Waldo Emerson said: 'Whatever course you decide upon, there will always be someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising which tempt you to believe that your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires courage.' UCB Word for Today A poignant message for today's events.