Hello team
If I received a coin every time someone said, “I can’t believe it’s November already,” or, “Where has the year gone?” I would have a great boost to my Christmas gift kitty.
For our household, today is a very significant day, as our eldest has just completed his final Yr 12 external exam. Apart from the school’s Retreat Day (celebrating their achievements) and Graduation in two weeks, he’s done. So now, not only am I reflecting on where the year has gone, I am left considering how the past thirteen years have flown. It’s a tad surreal. So much hard work and tough slog, and then, in a blink of an eye, it’s finished.
I had similar (kind of, if you squint and tilt your head, you’ll see a connection) situation this month. Things were a bit tough with figurative, epic waves coming at me from every angle. I have been listening to a podcast series and the episode I was up to, UCB podcast Jesus, Then and Now: His miracles, spoke about the time Jesus walked on the water and had a chat to the disciples. You can read the actual account here.
Questions, Answers, Lessons
The really interesting thing was (not just that he walked on water but) he had been watching his disciples battle against the storm for most of the night and could see they were having a rough time of it. In the early hours of the morning, after they’d not made a lot of progress, he crossed over the water. Scripture tells us that he intended to walk past them. But they saw him and (understandably) freaked out, so he calmed them down, climbed into the boat, and the storm quietened.
This left me asking a number questions (these are two of them):
Q1. Why did he leave them to struggle if he could see they were in trouble?
Q2. And why did he intend to walk past them… when he could se they were in trouble?
A1: They were in trouble, not in danger of dying: he allowed them to struggle so that they might learn from it.
A2: He was in no doubt that they would make it. It was a definite. He was following through with the original plan, to meet them on the other side.
Straight after I heard this teaching, I was (very unusual for me) scrolling Social Media, where I heard a young man teaching the same lessons about the same passage.
NOTE TO SELF:
Listen and learn (not from Social Media, the repeated lesson).
Lesson 1: In the struggle, I am not alone, AND there is something I can learn.
Lesson 2: Jesus did intend to walk past, but he didn’t. When they called out, he changed the plan and got into the boat with them and the storm calmed.
So, last week, after hearing the message twice in two days, I had a chat with God and articulated how I was pretty swamped and it would be exceptionally cool, if he could stop by, get in my boat and still those jolly waves before I drowned.
And do you know what?
He did.
Instantly.
The tears of relief were a welcome change.
Improved not Removed
The issues that were causing distress still continue to rock my boat. But the intensity has died and the horizon is clearer. I am so very excited to have the best travelling companion ever as I continue to journey through this adventurous year. May I encourage you, when those waves are swamping your boat, to try calling out to the one who not only stills the storm, but is able to reconstruct his creation as to make a path right to your door. There is no place to hard for him to reach, and no storm to wild for him to calm.
How about you? Have you had stormy moments this month?
In other news.
- I will be running my first poetry workshop on November 30, and the 2nd early next year.
- The manuscript for Fractured Intervention: Book 5 of the Armour of Light Series is expected back on my desk before the end of the weekend.
- My WriTri (Writing Trimester – Writing goal of 90 000 between Nov 1 and Jan 31) creating the messy first draft of Book 6 (Set in Thyatira) has started on the right foot: day 1 down- 1128 words written (My daily goal is 1111 words).
- I have started something new (a bit of a trial really): voice recording my short stories – the bonus content – and inserting it into the blog post for you to listen to. if you’re interested. I had so wanted to start voice recording my novels, but once again, my timeline has blown out. So, I am starting small and building up to it. I would appreciate you telling me what you think.
Enough about me, how has your October arranged itself?
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Read on to find links to the month that was.
- From the Blog: The Letters: Thyatira
- Info about the books:You can find them all here.
- Links to the podcast: yes, the Gracewriters podcast
- Bonus Content: The Staircase – a bit darker than normal, and voice recorded.
- Shots of the month: Photography, not weaponry
PS: All typos are my gift to you. They are evidence of an authentic, original newsletter, written with my own typo-prolific fingers : )
