A pot of gold
At rainbows end
A blend of colours
A loop of light across the sky
Rain speckled
Sun streaked
The emerald halo
Emerges from out of the mist
To embrace its own little world
From end to end.
Rain and sun together
A partnership
Of water and light
Droplets hanging in mid air
Searching for every bit of light
To catch
Bend
And catapult out again
Sending thousands of light crystals
To dance before their God.
Have you tried to chase a rainbow
Running fast to catch
Where it falls to earth
But surprise is all you'll find
For that bow of light
Laughs at you
Twinkles
And moves on
Always just beyond
Where it ought to be.
For you see
The rainbow is not up for grabs
Not for personal gratification
He put it there
For pleasure for all to see
A promise and a sign
Of justice and reconciliation
So share with me
The enjoyment of it all
And the knowledge of his love
And a participation in the Creator's handiwork.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Friday, August 26, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Motivation
Have you ever sat back and thought why should I do this or that.
What are the consequences if I do something differently. Who will benefit? Is there a benefit? Will it grind to a halt if I’m not involved?
There are times when assessing ”where we’re at” can be helpful to ensure which things/matters/events/concerns are right to pursue and those which are right to put to one side either permanently or for a time.
The assessment can be undertaken quite legitimately on the basis of one’s own need or in the light of corporate pressures to ensure there is value and quality in what we’re trying to achieve.
So it comes down to a basic question of what is my motivation. Where is the passion or driving force that stirred the emotions or desire to instigate that particular course of action or to become involved?
Rediscovering what motivates us is like a medicine or tonic. Rejuvenating the mind, restoring the soul and stirring the spirit.
There are times when just identifying the source of our motivation is enough to provide a sense of well being. Feeling good about ourselves and having a positive self image is just as important as being busy.
After all as a friend of mine says “we are human be-ings not human do-ings”.
There are obviously positive and negative things that motivate us, but, for each of us to look to achieve something of eternal worth and value, its important to feel good about ourselves and be secure.
The Bible records these words in John’s Letter “God is love and the one who abides (or rests) in love abides (or rests) in God and God’s love abides (or rests) in them.
To know we are loved by God must surely be the greatest motivation.
Father God, after all, was so motivated by his love for us that he asked Jesus to come into the world to demonstrate and personify that love.
What are the consequences if I do something differently. Who will benefit? Is there a benefit? Will it grind to a halt if I’m not involved?
There are times when assessing ”where we’re at” can be helpful to ensure which things/matters/events/concerns are right to pursue and those which are right to put to one side either permanently or for a time.
The assessment can be undertaken quite legitimately on the basis of one’s own need or in the light of corporate pressures to ensure there is value and quality in what we’re trying to achieve.
So it comes down to a basic question of what is my motivation. Where is the passion or driving force that stirred the emotions or desire to instigate that particular course of action or to become involved?
Rediscovering what motivates us is like a medicine or tonic. Rejuvenating the mind, restoring the soul and stirring the spirit.
There are times when just identifying the source of our motivation is enough to provide a sense of well being. Feeling good about ourselves and having a positive self image is just as important as being busy.
After all as a friend of mine says “we are human be-ings not human do-ings”.
There are obviously positive and negative things that motivate us, but, for each of us to look to achieve something of eternal worth and value, its important to feel good about ourselves and be secure.
The Bible records these words in John’s Letter “God is love and the one who abides (or rests) in love abides (or rests) in God and God’s love abides (or rests) in them.
To know we are loved by God must surely be the greatest motivation.
Father God, after all, was so motivated by his love for us that he asked Jesus to come into the world to demonstrate and personify that love.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
A Taste of Fish
In an article in The Sunday Times of 28th September 2003 it was reported that fish and plant oils in supplement form could assist in providing improvements in reading age and numeracy for children of primary school age.
The study, in schools in County Durham, England, showed a number of remarkable improvements in the reading age of nine year olds who had been selected for the study for showing slight difficulties in learning, memory, concentration, co-ordination and other behavioural factors.
The study was conducted using a placebo group to compare children taking the supplement with those who weren’t. Although not all children being given the supplements showed an improvement there was such a significant change in some that all the children were put on the supplements by the research team for a further three months
The Sunday Times reported that Dr Madeleine Portwood, a psychologist with Durham education authority, suggested that “...it is possible that adults may also benefit”.
The UK Food Standards Agency recommends salmon, trout and mackerel for people looking to increase their intake of fish oils, however, it has also warned the public recently that some fish can contain high levels of mercury and dioxins.
In a separate article a well known British consumer magazine reported in 2002 that two high street “names” selling health food supplements had to remove cod liver oil products from its shelves due to excessive heavy metal contamination.
Some authorities suggest that it is difficult to take sufficient quantities of oils, or essential fatty acids as they are known in medical circles, without supplementation. But how does one choose a safe supplement when even what you can buy over the counter may contain “safe” levels of heavy metal contamination?
Medical doctors and dieticians are increasingly aware of the differences in quality and effectiveness of products which merely meet basic food standards and those manufactured to pharmaceutical (USP & BP) requirements of purity, absorption and bio-availability.
The study, in schools in County Durham, England, showed a number of remarkable improvements in the reading age of nine year olds who had been selected for the study for showing slight difficulties in learning, memory, concentration, co-ordination and other behavioural factors.
The study was conducted using a placebo group to compare children taking the supplement with those who weren’t. Although not all children being given the supplements showed an improvement there was such a significant change in some that all the children were put on the supplements by the research team for a further three months
The Sunday Times reported that Dr Madeleine Portwood, a psychologist with Durham education authority, suggested that “...it is possible that adults may also benefit”.
The UK Food Standards Agency recommends salmon, trout and mackerel for people looking to increase their intake of fish oils, however, it has also warned the public recently that some fish can contain high levels of mercury and dioxins.
In a separate article a well known British consumer magazine reported in 2002 that two high street “names” selling health food supplements had to remove cod liver oil products from its shelves due to excessive heavy metal contamination.
Some authorities suggest that it is difficult to take sufficient quantities of oils, or essential fatty acids as they are known in medical circles, without supplementation. But how does one choose a safe supplement when even what you can buy over the counter may contain “safe” levels of heavy metal contamination?
Medical doctors and dieticians are increasingly aware of the differences in quality and effectiveness of products which merely meet basic food standards and those manufactured to pharmaceutical (USP & BP) requirements of purity, absorption and bio-availability.
I Like Stories
Even though I can’t actually remember my parents reading me any stories when I was young I’m sure they did. When my sons were small there was nothing I enjoyed better, at the end of a busy day, than to sit up on the sofa or in one of their beds and read to them. Sometimes it was just one short story and other times it would be a chapter of a popular book.
One holiday in Wales the weather was appalling with day after day of rain and so we started to read one of Arthur Ransome’s adventure books. Each one of our three lads would sit enthralled as I read chapter after chapter with each character having a different voice. However did I remember which person went with each voice?
Anybody who has read to young children will know how important it is to keep to the right story line. You may read the same story over and over again and just when you think they are dropping off to sleep and you skip a few lines or even a whole chapter to get to the end of the book, a little dreamy voice says “you missed a bit”. Oh well back to script.
I also sometimes made up my own storyline with a little bit of mystery, a pet, some friends and an ordinary day turning into something extraordinary - now where have come across that before? I would sometimes even tell a story with one of the lads or all three as the main characters - how they loved that!
Remembering all this has lead me to reflect on my own story and the part others have played in writing it. There are some who I value greatly and others who, quite frankly, I wish had never been part of my life. But my story is made up of good things and some not so pleasant; that’s what life is.
There are plenty of biblical characters with some amazing stories but I often think how on earth did that person’s story come to be in the “holy” bible, surely it should only contain references to upright, honest and holy people. What of Moses the murderer, David the adulterer, Peter the denier, Thomas the doubter.
I’m glad though that it doesn’t. My story is reflected in those of many in the bible who ultimately found their place in God; loved by Jesus and worked on by the Holy Spirit and adopted by the heavenly Father.
My story has some unfinished chapters - I am a work in progress, as they say, so how about yours?
One holiday in Wales the weather was appalling with day after day of rain and so we started to read one of Arthur Ransome’s adventure books. Each one of our three lads would sit enthralled as I read chapter after chapter with each character having a different voice. However did I remember which person went with each voice?
Anybody who has read to young children will know how important it is to keep to the right story line. You may read the same story over and over again and just when you think they are dropping off to sleep and you skip a few lines or even a whole chapter to get to the end of the book, a little dreamy voice says “you missed a bit”. Oh well back to script.
I also sometimes made up my own storyline with a little bit of mystery, a pet, some friends and an ordinary day turning into something extraordinary - now where have come across that before? I would sometimes even tell a story with one of the lads or all three as the main characters - how they loved that!
Remembering all this has lead me to reflect on my own story and the part others have played in writing it. There are some who I value greatly and others who, quite frankly, I wish had never been part of my life. But my story is made up of good things and some not so pleasant; that’s what life is.
There are plenty of biblical characters with some amazing stories but I often think how on earth did that person’s story come to be in the “holy” bible, surely it should only contain references to upright, honest and holy people. What of Moses the murderer, David the adulterer, Peter the denier, Thomas the doubter.
I’m glad though that it doesn’t. My story is reflected in those of many in the bible who ultimately found their place in God; loved by Jesus and worked on by the Holy Spirit and adopted by the heavenly Father.
My story has some unfinished chapters - I am a work in progress, as they say, so how about yours?
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