Why there will be dogs in Heaven...

How cute is Max? This is his prayer position. When I Have my prayer time in the morning he knows I'm busy and resigns himself to the fact that his ears will be unruffled for a while. He's not stupid playing to his strengths and my weakness, he assumes the 'I'm going to lie here on my paws and blink up at you periodically with my big soft brown eyes full of love' position! 
He is part of our family, we have relationship with him, he blesses our world. To me he is a surrogate child who models many things which reinforce all that is good about being in relationship with our wonderful God. Things like unconditional love, obedience and joy of life. He also models few unmentionable things too which reflect our own human condition. Mmm...let's just leave that one at greed...  well, he is a Labrador! 

In Romans it reminds us that this world isn't it. It reminds us that there is a world yet to come of which all creation groans and longs for. Romans 8:21 'Everything in creation is more or less being held back God reigns it in, until both creation and all the creatures are are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead' - The Message Bible. 

One day, a day known only to God, all of the fragmentation of this broken world will come together and in Him be made whole. All of creation, even our pooches will know no decay instead the glorious world that Our Father has designed for us; a new world where we are together in hope and united in love. I'm kinda glad Max has a prayer position because he reminds me submitted, humbled and looking up adoringly at Jesus is a good position to be in.

Hugs Ruth x 

Some days it just hurts to be Human

The picture above is a monument to five people who were killed by a terrorist bomb in Florence in 1993. It shows a man striding forward into the future carrying five other's one for each person who died. It is 20 metres up in the air on the back of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy and is called I Passi d`Oro (The golden Strides). I think it's rather beautiful. We live in a world full of evil and full of good. Perhaps like me you have days when it feels like you're treading on tip toe through the shattered glass of our broken world. It hurts to be human on these days. It can feel overwhelming when we're swamped by images of injustice or senseless wounding. Or it's closer to home and careless words or thoughtless actions batter our vulnerable hearts. Yes it's hard to wrestle through life on days like these.

And then... we catch something of a whisper as light breaks through the ash and smoke. We receive some kindness, we feel the fingers of the one who holds us as we stand in the palm. We remember that we are not alone. We remember that there is one who will (Rev 7:17) 'wipe every tear from our eyes' and nurse the wounds of our souls back to full health. For it's on these days we understand a little bit better what is says in John 16:33 - even though trouble is certain Our Christ has overcome the world and because He has overcome we can too. We can rise above the moment and be a beacon of victorious hope to those coming after. If you're 'feeling your humaness' today please know God sees and He cares. He is loving and good no matter how it seems and He is the answer to your pain. I pray you will allow Him to remind you of your hope...

Hugs Ruth x 

God & the 3 pin plug!

When I moved to London 20yrs ago I had the opportunity of going to ‘speaker’s corner’ which is a place beside Hyde Park where anyone can go, stand on a soap box and speak about anything and everything. I watched these two men debate; one was an atheist and one was a theologian. It was very interesting - a bit like a verbal fencing bout.  After a while however I found that I was simply bored of their parrying; not because it wasn't interesting but because there was no engagement of heart. It was just point scoring…

Psychology shows we learn best when we are ‘emotionally invested' in what we’re what we’re expecting. I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed ‘theologically’ but I do seek out and have the the privilege of hearing some great bible teachers. They just blow me away with their insight and wisdom not to mention their real 'ness' and humour! The difference with these guys  and the ones at speakers corner is they enable a connection between the word of God and my heart. This causes an effect on how I do life. Someone once said ‘trying to connect with God through the mind alone is like trying to put a 3 pin plug in a 2 pin whole – it won’t work because connection with God essentially happens through the heart ‘. God the Father, God the Son and God the spirit...

 What do you need to do to improve your connection with all 3 today?

Hugs Ruth x