White snow filled skies have dominated my world this week. Temperatures of -18. I felt like I was living in a black and white still. You can imagine my joy when I captured this.

I love looking for gifts of colour in my everyday.

Phil and I attended our first marriage seminar! Focusing on the Gottman Love Lab research. Interesting stuff. We realise we are doing pretty well. Good friends do marriage well don’t you think?

Emily and I are both taking part in the 365project. A photograph a day for the whole year. Challenging and a lot of a fun, we went out yesterday for a photo treasure hunt. Looking for good shots as we drove. It’s great how we are both so different in what we see.

Phil preached this week on setting your face like flint. A great message for the year ahead.

A few thoughts from the sermon…

Last week we saw the terrible accident of the Costa Concordia. The great Italian cruise liner which ran aground in Italy. Causing death, disaster and total trauma. Questions have arisen yet again over the structure and design of such ships. The floating world. With layer upon layer of malls, spas, swimming pools and casinos. The floating temple of fun. Built like sky scrapers but without the draft to fulfil the world above.

The metaphor for our faith is clear, what is below your waterline? How deep is your spirituality? Is it deep enough to carry you through? Or are you building layer upon layer on the surface of your life. The temple above outweighing the depth below.

Our challenge is to be determined, to be steadfast, to be resolute, to set our faces like flint in the year ahead to deepen our faith, our relationship with Christ.

Jesus himself was the most resolute as he set his face toward Jerusalem. We are encouraged to do the same as we face our task.

What does that mean?

Resolute. Steadfast. Immovable.

I like this, it gives the allusion of a statue; or perhaps to wrestling, and to standing one’s ground.

Where is this required?

In our prayer life. Pushing in. Being committed, determined.

In our bible reading. Allowing the living, breathing, active word of God to affect who we are, our decisions, our world.

In our service. Being committed to your activity. And if you don’t have one. Find one. Whether church volunteering or community service.

But what can I do? Something.

Everywhere we look there’s something. Have eyes to see. I write sat in the Talkin Donkey in Vernon. A Salvation Army coffee house who use their profits to combat social injustice in our community and around the world. I pick up a card. The bruised eyes of a woman pierce, they watch me eating my bagel, sipping my coffee. They ask me to go to this to make a difference in ending human trafficking.

I have a choice to make. She didn’t….until now.

Be determined and committed. You are valued. Time to pass it on friend.

“With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort” 1Corinthians 15:58

Deep deep waters. Where life transforms. A new sound is heard.

Deep, deep waters. Visibility only possible with another light.

Deep, deep waters. Where the breath of God becomes mine so that pressure doesn’t crush.

Deep, deep waters. Where you can but trust.

Deep, deep waters. You cannot run aground.

 And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me,
so I’m not disgraced.
Therefore I set my face like flint,
confident that I’ll never regret this.
My champion is right here.
Let’s take our stand together! Isaiah 50:7-8

Have a great week.

And remember…

The sharp edge of flint can be used to ignite fires.