220. IDEAS & IMAGES (For Meditation & Sermons)
Photographs taken by Jeff Lowndes
As I travel I photograph all sorts of odd things with the intention of trying to see where they may point me in a direction or set off a train of thought. Each image may invoke thoughts that change each time I return to it. Sometimes the thought is instinctive and at other times I need to work through those thoughts to see where they lead me. At other times just a phrase or expression will encourage further thought.
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This statue was outside Tewkesbury Abbey and is called 'Touching Souls'
The 'Straining Post' - the post and the fencing -
The church, members, Christ. Which part am I ?
Some posts are neglected, others maintained - some are doing their job well, others are just getting by!
This old fashioned AA Box near Lhanbryde in Moray - a sanctury for which one needs a key.
What is the key to bring us to Christ. Is our church a sanctury or an obstacle? Is it pristine or shabby and where will we find it?
This tangled flotsam and jetsam on the beach at Spey Bay - what a tangled web we weave.
People discarded - what can be rescued, repaired - used again and have a new beginning.
Taken at Cromarty Harbour. A tangle of fishing nets, rope, floats - the confusion of life but there is something to save us very close to hand. We have been given a 'lifebelt' - can we now share it with someone?
Which door will you choose, does it make a difference?
Become informed - read The Word, study, don't treat The Kingdom lightly but know what it is you seek
so that you may choose the right door to enter.
In the fields and in the sea there is life, things going on and we don't see it.
Even in the beauty of nature there are difficulties.
What is there surrounding our own life that we should be looking at but are not seeing.
Dandelion Seed Head - The Spirit will blow where she wishes and the seeds will be scattered to create new growth.
Some will land on fertile soil, others on stoney ground.
People relaxing and rushing about outside a church.
Some eating, some communicating on their mobile phones and posters behind them.
Does the church feed them, communicate to them.
The sign has good wording - 'Learn to love - love to learn' - something the church could use to inspire members with.
I wonder how many of those people turn and greet the 'stranger' sitting near them? Do we take that opportunity in church? Or do we allow the 'no entry' sign to be ours?
In life one has a choice - which direction will you choose - you have come to the crossroads.
You need to divert to the line which will take you into The Kingdom - it may not be an easy straight line!
An impromptu sign stuck on a post at Christmas - speaks of The Cross and of The Birth of Christ.
The cone (warning of danger) - the Christian life may not be an easy one.
Chain on pebbles at Spey Bay.
The pebbles have been moulded over time and are a natural product of nature. The chain is man made but ultimately has been made from natural materials, thus demonstrating mankinds ingenuity. We have to be careful to stay in touch with nature and creation and not become bound in the chains of modern living.
The pregnant Mary & Elizabeth meet
Many people want to serve God - but only as advisers
If God is your co-pilot - swap seats
God doesn't propose to judge people before they are dead - so why should you
It is easier to preach ten sermons - than it is to live one
Opportunity may only knock once - but temptation bangs on the door forever
Prayer - don't give God instructions - just report for duty
God doesn't call the qualified - he qualifies the called
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass - it is about learning to dance in the rain
God doesn't promise a calm journey - he promises a safe landing
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