Passion

I saw this flower growing on a vine at the end of our garden the other day. They are probably quite common but i've never seen one before and think it's completely amazing. It's not easy to tell from the photo but it has so much detail and from the side it looks like a little helicopter or something! Some of the flowers that have died now have orange fruit growing from the centre. Anyway, being the geek that i am, i looked it up and found out that it's a passion flower and the fruit is obviously passion fruit.

Apparently it's actually called a passion flower because it was discovered by Spanish Christian missionaries and it reminded them of the 'passion of Christ' on the cross. All the different parts of the flower are supposed to symbolise different aspects of Jesus dying on the cross, for example the nails and the wounds and the crown of thorns. It sounds like a slightly Catholic thing to do to me. Anyway, apparently traditionally the leaves can also be used to make tea which is meant to heal things such as epilepsy! I don't think i will actually risk making tea out of it in the hope that it will heal me, i read somewhere else that doing that can be very dangerous! I don't want to get overly caught up in the symbolism either and i'm not going to be all mystical about the leaves!! However, i did find that on reading of it's origin and the apparent healing properties of it's leaves i was directed back to Jesus and remembered the verse in the bible which talks about the tree of life and how "the leaves are for the healing of the nations" Rev 22.2. I'm not going to put my hope in a flower, however beautiful it is, but i am going to put my hope in Jesus and do believe that there is healing in him, through his death and resurrection - healing from sin, healing from sickness, healing from all things. Somehow the fact that the same flower that represents Jesus' death also has leaves which are meant to heal epilepsy, simply gave some vigour back to my faith and hope that it is Jesus who will heal me and other people - whether we see that healing today, tomorrow, or when He comes again.

"On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations." - Rev 22.2

full of message

Hannah sent me this post card from Japan. It is in fact called a "post cord" on the back! On the front it says " i have a lot of words to you. but i dared not tell you these words. I'm gonna send it to your heart. everything is fine!" That sounds like a very typically Japanese message! Anyway, i love the picture. It is by Kaori Wakamatsu. Hannah is very good at picking up nice flyers and postcards. It would seem that she is actually my primary supplier!

I potentially made my first friend up here today. At least hopefully we'll be friends. I haven't really spoken to many people under 50 since i've been here (except shop keepers)... i haven't been here long though and i don't mind speaking to people in their 50's and 60's at all, in fact i like it, but it was just quite refreshing to chat to someone younger as well.

There is a lot i could write, but i won't at the minute - it is beautifully sunny and i feel the need to be outside instead.

everlasting

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms." -Deuteronomy 33:27-

...so here i am, and life has changed - a new town, a peaceful place; yet still the eternal God is my refuge, my real home... there are some things that never change.

And when i fall, then still underneath are everlasting arms to catch me. Underneath everything, underneath all, are the same everlasting arms - wherever i am.

(Picture - Hokusai, Cardellino e ciliegio piangente, 1834)

*One Hundred *

This is my one hundreth post and also my last post from the South of England.

I should be packing but am taking a tiny break to quickly write this. It's amazing the things that you come across when you sort your house out for packing. We seem to have ridiculous things stored in our loft, i've no idea why! Anyway, amongst some old children's books i found this little story, which i happen to rather like. It goes as follows:

'Guess what, God? I know what Hallelujah means. It means, "Praise the Lord!"

And when i praise you, God, I tell you how wonderful you are.

Do you like it when people say nice things about you? I think you must. Because i like it when people say nice things about me. Like yesterday, when i brought my picture of a sun and a tree and a kangaroo home to my Mum. She hung it on the refrigerator door and said, "That's a beautiful painting!" She praised me.

And i can praise you too, God. Just look at all the things you made. The whole world is full of them.... big animals and little animals. Animals for the land and fish for the sea. So many i can't even count them all.

You must really be clever! You can do so many things! You make the rain fall and the sun shine, so that the plants grow and we have food to eat.

I can praise you, too, God - just for being you. For sticking by me, and never changing. For filling the whold world with your love that never ever stops.

But how can i show you how i feel, God? By talking to you as i am now? By singing? By shouting? By clapping? Can i praise you by making music for you to hear? Like clang! Twee-eet! BOOM! Jingle, jangle, clap! Does that say "i love you, God"?

When i think about you, God, i get so happy. It's like a beautiful bubble inside me blowing bigger and BIGGER until it just wants to burst. I feel like yelling, "Come on, you whole big world! Tell God how wonderful he is!"

- by Elspeth Campbell -

There is so much to thank God for...... and as i leave Worthing i thank Him for my life here and all He's been to me..... i've been so well looked after and cared for and am so grateful for that. Recently i've been really blessed by people at church too and appreciate it greatly and am thankful for it. I read Psalm 100 earlier and seeing as this is my hundreth post i want to quote it:

Psalm 100:

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations.

It is true - God is good and His love and faithfulness endures forever. If i had time i would attempt to make this all sound less cringe worthy, but i don't, and maybe that's a good thing; what does it matter what it sounds like, if it's true.