4Ü #270

Stress: It could be good for you.

15 March 2007

WASSUP - I'll miss ...
INSIGHT OUT - I look to the mountains
OUTSIGHT IN - Stress: It could be good for you
SEE YA SUNDAY - I believe ... in Jesus as judge
LAST WORD - An eye made quiet

WASSUP - I miss ...

Sorry to miss you last week
I was attending Sue's grandmother's funeral
Get out your tissues and have a read of this.

Dear Great Nan

I don't know if you can hear me right now but I want to talk to you anyway.

I am going to miss you so much now that you are gone.

I am going to miss the cards that you send me on my birthday and for Christmas that have money in them and I will miss your handwriting in them.

I will miss hearing your voice on the phone when you call or when my Mum calls you.

I will miss talking about you and saying how you are so amazing for your age.

I will miss telling my friends about you and how you made it a long way to reach your age. I will also miss telling you on the phone that I love you so so incredibly much.

I really hope that you will go up to heaven into God's loving arms and that you will be protected and that you will never be sad, hurt or angry or feel any more pain.

Well I hope that you have heard all that I have said to you and don't forget that we all love you and nothing can ever change that.

Phoebe Norton (12) Youngest Great Grand Daughter 5 March 2007

Andrew

INSIGHT OUT - I look to the mountains

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Psalm 121:1

Next week I'm off to the mountains.
I'll be tramping the Rees / Dart.
This place is like the soul of New Zealand

It's with a sense of anticipation and expectation
Of being in the mountains -
Whose shadows cast the feeling of insignificance and significance
At weather's mercy
Of trees that talk stories of ages ago
Alpine streams that laugh all the way to the sea
Of a presence that can only be heard when all noise ceases

Thinking about the mountains I came across this that caught my attention - by David Whyte

All the water below me came from above.
All the clouds living in the mountains
gave it to the rivers
who gave it to the sea, which was there dying.

And so I float on a cloud of water,
central sea surrounded by white mountains,
the water salt, once fresh,
cloud fall and stream rush, tree root and tide bank
leading to the river mouths
and the mouths of the rivers sing into the sea,
the stories buried in the mountains
give out to the sea
and the sea remembers
and sings back
from the depths
where nothing is forgotten.

David Whyte,1990

OUTSIGHT IN - Stress: it could be good for you

What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him. What he needs is not the discharge of tension at any cost, but the call of a potential meaning waiting to be fulfilled by him.
Victor Frankl 1963

The key to stress is not its avoidance or reduction, but rather whether it is a worthy stress or not?
Distress is like a pain that has nothing to show for it at the end of the day, other than more pain.
Worthy stress is a pain that is highly productive.

So what kind of stress are you facing right now?
What does the pain tell you?
Can you hear the "call?"

Listen to your stress it will tell you what to do, it may even be good for you!

SEE YA SUNDAY - I Believe ... in Jesus as judge

This Sunday we continue with the series titled "I believe."

Over the next few weeks we'll be exploring the Apostles Creed

Don't for a minute think this is some old dusty document that will be forced upon you like tripe and onions. No! As we explore the Creed we will use it to uncover what you truly believe. It will be an opportunity for you to face some sticking points and doubts in your faith and may be even to uncover a new faith that you never thought possible.

This Sunday "I believe in Jesus as judge"

Well here's an unpopular topic!

Have you noticed that if something is done against you, you are the first to cry for justice but when it is the other way round; you criticize others for being judgmental? You can have it both ways! If you want justice you must accept judgement. Let's explore this some more on Sunday . and believe it or not I think you'll find the topic very encouraging.

This Sunday evening 7.00pm - you will be spoilt for choice!
An all new evening service is underway with Matt.

Can't wait ... see ya Sunday

Thanks for this time to chat.

Andrew
St Columba
Where Life and Faith Meet
andrew.norton@stcolumba.org.nz

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LAST WORD - An eye made quiet

With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things
William Wordsworth