Monthly Archives: March 2014

The Joy (and Terror) of Judgement Day – Part Two

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Where I wanted to go with last week’s post reminded me of something from a little series I wrote a decade ago entitled ‘Thoughts Inspired by Psalms’, my first attempt at a series of opinion pieces. The first piece was translated into Czech and published in the national newsletter of the Czech Salvation Army (looking back now, it is probably the weakest of them all and most in need of revision, I have learned a lot since then). This is the second: Continue reading →

The Joy (and Terror) of Judgement Day – Part One

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So, following on from last week’s entry, your life on earth is borrowed, your possessions are borrowed, the atoms in your body are all borrowed, your every waking (and sleeping) moment is borrowed, entrusted to you.

This reminded me of the words of the Inquisitor from Red Dwarf:

“You have been granted the greatest gift of all, the gift of life. Tell me, what have you done to deserve this superlative good fortune?”

It is a sobering question, because the honest answer is nothing. Life has been granted to us not out of obligation to us for something we have done, not a reward or wages, but as a gift, the greatest of gifts, perhaps even something, dare I say it, that is worth being grateful for in of itself.

In context however, that is not really the question that the Inquisitor was asking. What he was asking was far more serious, even terrifying:

You have been given this astounding gift, this incredible range of opportunities. What have you done with them to justify this enormous investment in you? What reasons will you give to dissuade me from erasing you from history and giving your opportunities to someone else? Continue reading →

The Joy of Borrowed Time

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The Parable of the Drill

Let’s begin with a little parable. A man wishes to build a support frame in his garden to hang a swing for his children on, but finds that he needs to drill holes in the beams so they can be bolted together.

He is on good terms with his neighbour, so he walks over to the fence between their two gardens.

“Hey Frank!”

“Hey, Bill. What is it?”

“Could I borrow a drill?”

“I don’t have one, but I can borrow one from Jim next door.”

Frank walks across his garden to the fence on the other side and calls across: “Hey Jim!”

“Hey, Frank. What can I do for you?”

“Could I borrow a drill?”

“Hang on a sec, I’ll go and borrow one from Greg next door.”

Jim asks to borrow from Greg, who asks to borrow from Mark, who asks to borrow from Neil… You get the idea.

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Mum to Be

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The talented artist who did the cover and internal artwork for Nobility Among Us has a birthday tomorrow and is expecting her first child after many years of longing for such a blessing, so here’s to you, Anna! (I don’t know if it’s going to be a boy or girl, so if it does turn out to be a girl, please replace all instances of his/him with her.)

Mum to Be

Mum to be at thirty-seven
Waiting for a piece of heaven
In human form to join the world
His beauty slowly here unfurled

Days of discomfort, restless nights,
Aching backs and little frights,
Hormones toss and turn your moods,
Grant appetites for curious foods.

At times you’ll feel you cannot cope;
Those storms will pass, do not lose hope.
Pain like you’ve never known will come
But then at last you’ll be a mum.

A look upon your baby sweet
Will fill your heart with love complete
The challenges have just begun
As you walk down the path marked “Mum”

Adventures, joys, discoveries
An album of sweet memories
And messes, tears and nappies piled
All worth it when you see him smile.