Today my years tally of miles run went to 312, equivilent to about 50 hours. I guess an avid TV watcher could spend that time looking at "the box" in about a fortnight, an obsessive gamer in about 4 days so in the big scheme of things it isn't that much. I think, however, that there are some good lessons to be learned from running which can be transferred into life. I don't know if T.V. watching and gaming could claim the same. It seems to me that these things replace life rather than contribute to it. What are these lessons?.
1. Starting is the biggest challenge. 2. Not giving up is the next biggest. 3. Doing it reapeatedly improves the health. 4. Practice improves the performance. 5. After a relatively short time of inactivity you lose what you have gained.
I reckon you could apply that to prayer in the spiritual realm, or keeping your house clean in the natural. That 50 hours running has affected my life 24/7, the next step must be more disciplined prayer. Who knows what that may accomplish?
Monday 18 July 2011
Saturday 16 July 2011
Silence and quietness
It has been a long time since I have written anything in this blog. put is down to busyness or distraction. I started one but the computer "froze" and I lost it, that was a couple of weeks ago. One of the guys who has come to live in community with us is really into words. He will sometimes ask what a word means, not a long complex word but a pretty everyday one. Always it makes me think, "yes what does it mean?"
Take the two words at the top for example. They mean the same thing don't they? Not when you start to think about it, they can be used to say the same thing but that is a different thing. Is not one of the beauties of language the fact that nuances exist. Silence is the absence of sound. To me it can carry the air of menace "what is there hiding from me waiting to burst in". Quietness is a state. A quiet man is not always silent but he is never loud.
Enough! What else has been going on? Well I have recognised more traits of the middle aged in my personality. When you regularly talk about the old days and berate the young it means that you are into the world of Victor Meldrew (who?), in other words in danger of becoming a miserable old git. What stops me going going too far down that road is the fact that I have no desire to become old. Maturity has it's pluses, for example for some reason I can get up in the mornings now when I want to. (That laying in bed thing that young people do isn't laziness you know, they are actually incapable of fighting their way out from under the covers). When I became able to get out of bed in the morning, when I ceased to be the object of critical "vibes" from those who had been impatiently waiting for me, I thought it was a miracle; it certainly took the heat off me. The under 40's have this to look forward to (I was about 40 when it happened). It isn't all bad.
Take the two words at the top for example. They mean the same thing don't they? Not when you start to think about it, they can be used to say the same thing but that is a different thing. Is not one of the beauties of language the fact that nuances exist. Silence is the absence of sound. To me it can carry the air of menace "what is there hiding from me waiting to burst in". Quietness is a state. A quiet man is not always silent but he is never loud.
Enough! What else has been going on? Well I have recognised more traits of the middle aged in my personality. When you regularly talk about the old days and berate the young it means that you are into the world of Victor Meldrew (who?), in other words in danger of becoming a miserable old git. What stops me going going too far down that road is the fact that I have no desire to become old. Maturity has it's pluses, for example for some reason I can get up in the mornings now when I want to. (That laying in bed thing that young people do isn't laziness you know, they are actually incapable of fighting their way out from under the covers). When I became able to get out of bed in the morning, when I ceased to be the object of critical "vibes" from those who had been impatiently waiting for me, I thought it was a miracle; it certainly took the heat off me. The under 40's have this to look forward to (I was about 40 when it happened). It isn't all bad.
Saturday 2 July 2011
God's foot in the door.
Having tried unsuccessfully to publish a blog the other day I thought I would try again. It has been quite a few weeks since I have published anything. the other morning I was waiting to go to work whilst my passenger was praying with someone. Ever impatient to get on the move I was thinking "come on, come on" when I sensed that there was a restraint upon me. God "had his foot in the door" and I needed to wait patiently until he was ready for me to close it and get on with my day. That image has stayed with me most of the week, after all how important is what I have got to do compared with God's business?
A couple of nights ago I could not sleep so I came downstairs about 1am and had something to eat. I then came into the room where I am now and had a look on the bookshelves. Then I went back to bed without selecting a book. What are books for anyway? Because we are a Christian house a lot of the books are faith based, or biographies of people who did great things for God. I love reading but in the big picture aren't books simply a waste of time? People blame television for the breakdown of society but aren't books just a more primitive form of the same thing? A way of keeping us apart. At least you can have more than one person watching the same T.V. programme! Of the making of many books there is no end. isn't it by living that we learn? I am not advocating the abolition of books but I reckon there could be a few too many.
A couple of nights ago I could not sleep so I came downstairs about 1am and had something to eat. I then came into the room where I am now and had a look on the bookshelves. Then I went back to bed without selecting a book. What are books for anyway? Because we are a Christian house a lot of the books are faith based, or biographies of people who did great things for God. I love reading but in the big picture aren't books simply a waste of time? People blame television for the breakdown of society but aren't books just a more primitive form of the same thing? A way of keeping us apart. At least you can have more than one person watching the same T.V. programme! Of the making of many books there is no end. isn't it by living that we learn? I am not advocating the abolition of books but I reckon there could be a few too many.
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