THE PRAYER OF THE EMPTY WATER JAR.

Jesus, I come to the warmth of your Presence
knowing that You are
the very emptiness of God.
I come before You
holding the water jar of my life.
Your eyes meet mine
and I know what I'd rather not know.

I came to be filled
but I am already full.
I am too full.
This is my sickness
I am full of things
that crowd out
Your healing Presence.

A holy knowing steals inside my heart
and I see the painful truth.
I don't need more
I need less
I am too full.

I am full of things that block out
Your golden grace.
I am smothered by gods of my own creation
I am lost in the forest of my false self
I am full of my own opinions and narrow attitudes
full of fear, resentment, control
full of self pity, and arrogance.
Slowly this terrible truth pierces my heart,
I am so full, there is no room for You.

Contemplatively, and with compassion,
You ask me to reach into my water jar.
One by one, Jesus, you enable me
to lift out the things
that are a hindrance to my wholeness.
I take each on to my heart,
I hear You asking me
" Why is this so important to you ? "

Like the murmur of a gentle stream
I hear You calling,
" Let go, let go, let go! "
I pray with each obstacle
tasting the bitterness and grief
it has caused.

Finally
I sit with my empty water jar
I hear you whisper
You have become a space for God
Now there is hope
Now you are ready to be a channel of Life.
You have given up your own agenda
There is nothing left but God.


Macrina Wiederkehr OSB. ( Prayer inspired by John 4 : 28 )


Macrina Wiederkehr is one of my favourite writers. She has a marvellous web site which is well worth a visit.

Her writings seem to say so much about what goes on in one's heart. How often to we allow our lives to become cluttered with stuff? Even stuff that is important but is not the " best. " I am going to take some time today to "unclutter " my life. Won't you join me??

THESE ARE MY MOUNTAINS.

In loving memory of my Dad. Born Bellshill, Scotland died Melbourne, Australia November 19th 2000.

Dad was quiet, caring man who was always fun to be around. As his only child he loved me dearly . He was a one of a kind Grandfather to Rowan, his only Grandchild, who idolised him. They had such an amazing relationship.



These Are My Mountains.

For fame and for fortune,
I wandered the earth
And now I've come back to
This land of my birth
I’ve brought back my treasures
But only to find
They're less than the pleasuresI first left behind

For these are my mountains,
And this is my glen
The braes of my childhood,
Will know me again
No land's ever claimed me,
Tho'far I did roam
For these are my mountains,
And I'm going home.


The burn by the road sings,
At my going by
The whaup o’er the head wings
With welcoming cry
The loch where the scart flies
At last I can see
Its here where my heart lies
It’s here I’ll be free


Kind faces will greet me
And welcome me in
And how they will greet me
My ain kith and kin
This night round the ingle
Old songs will be sung
At last I'll be hearing
My ain mother tongue.


Dad is at rest in Scotland where his heart always remained.

HEART OF WORSHIP.

When the music fades
and all has slipped away
and I simply come.
Longing just to bring
something thats of worth
that will bless Your heart.

I'll bring You more than a song,
for a song in itself
is not what You have required.
You search much deeper within,
through the way things appear,
Your looking into my heart.

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
and its all about You, its all about You, Jesus.
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
when its all about You, its all about You, Jesus.

King of endless worth,
no one could express
how much you deserve.
Though I'm weak and poor,
all I have is Yours,
every single breath!

I'll bring You more than a song,
for a song in itself
is not what You have required.
You search much deeper within,
through the way things appear,
Your looking into my heart.

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
and its all about You, its all about You, Jesus.
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
when its all about You, its all about You, Jesus.

MATT REDMAN .


I feel as though I am baring my soul with this song. I don't know what Matt Redman felt when he wrote it, but it sums up so very, very much of what I feel. Let's get to the core of what we are about as Christians. Is it about our denominations, our styles of church services, our liturgy or keeping up appearances etc.?? Or is our primary aim to worship the only person worthy of all our worship and indeed our whole life. The Lord Jesus Christ ???

Now I do confess to admitting before that I am a passionate person and so to any who have travelled on my blog with me it will come as no surprise that I admit that I have come to a place and a stage of life where I am done with messing about on the perifery of Christianity. I want the " real thing. " I have found that to be the Lord Jesus. So here's my challenge today for you dear readers in blogland. What is the " real thing " for you ? Is it a form of religion or is it Jesus ??? I pray, with my whole heart, that you can say without a second thought, that it is the Lord Jesus .