I’ve Never Been This Way Before

At church yesterday Esther talked about Joshua… The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt… wandering around the desert… were about to settle in their Promised Land. Moses, their leader for 40 years, had died; Joshua was their new leader.

Standing in front of the River Jordan the people are in a new situation… new confusions, uncertainties, excitements, hopes and fears… There’s a phrase in the text: ‘…you have never been this way before…’

The Boris Johnson soap-opera rumbles on… speculation… Tory party division… suggestions Boris might start a new political party…

 Yesterday his former adviser, Sir James Duddridge, wrote: ‘BORIS – It is a new chapter in his political life, not a conclusion… This is the conclusion of a chapter, not the end of the book.’

This is Schwarzenegger’s ‘I’ll be back’. It’s a political path that’s never been travelled before… I fear ‘The Terminator’ may be close to reality.

International author and speaker Jeff Lucas writes of his friends Steve and Bekah: Steve’s received a terminal cancer diagnosis…

‘There are hopeful possibilities of some radical treatment options, but he and his family tread a bewildering path: the possibility of a medical solution, their belief in a miracle working God, all entwined with an upcoming visit to a hospice to discuss end-of-life care…’

Bekah talks about celebrating the treasure that can be found in the darkness of an untravelled path: ‘There is so much beauty to be seen, even in this horrible season. We don’t want to miss the lovely things that God is doing.’

My friend Patrick posted this on Facebook last week: The wild flower part of the garden that Sarah planted in 2021 is looking really, really beautiful! And there is still more flowers to bloom.

It’s nearly a year since his lovely wife Sarah died. In that year he’s faced many new challenges. It’s certainly not a path he would have chosen. He continues to walk this path he’s never travelled before, trusting his God to guide him, encourage him and support him.