What Matters

Leave Boldly

Life is a dirt trick.  It stretches from nothingness to nothingness.  So said Ernest Hemingway.  It's a cheery thought.  By contrast, followers of Jesus believe that life is an adventure that God calls us into.  It is an adventure that stretches into eternity.  This week we finish our 30 Days to Live series by exploring what it means to live this life as an adventure and to leave it boldly.  Listen in...Download Leave Boldly

The Catcher

Henri Nouwen is renowned author of classic spiritual reflections such as The Wounded Healer and In the Name of Jesus.  Nouwen passed away recently.  During his life he was obsessed with the circus and in particular the trapeze artists.  On one occasion he spent an entire week traveling with a trapeze troupe, The Flying Rodleighs.  During that time he watched them train and perform  He lived with them and observed them closely.  Here is his reflection in how own words:

"One day, I was sitting with Rodleigh, the leader of the troupe, in his caravan, talking about flying. He said, 'As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher. The public might think that I am the great star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.'

 

'How does it work?' I asked. 'The secret,' Rodleigh said, 'is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron behind the catchbar.'

 

"'You do nothing!' I said, surprised. 'Nothing,' Rodleigh repeated. 'The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. I am not supposed to catch Joe. It's Joe's task to catch me. If I grabbed Joe's wrists, I might break them, or he might break mine, and that would be the end for both of us. A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him.'

 

"When Rodleigh said this with so much conviction, the words of Jesus flashed through my mind: 'Father into your hands I commend my Spirit.' Dying is trusting in the catcher….Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don't try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust.' "

Learn Humbly

Life is a classroom we never leave until we draw our final breath.  As we grow older most of us recognise how little we really know and how much more there is to learn.  A 'no-regrets' life is lived as we constantly learn and grow.  It is lived as we humbly submit to our Lord and Teacher, as we come to Know our Identity, Follow our God and Discover our Purpose.  Listen in to find out more...Download Learn Humbly

Love Completely

We are wired for relationship.  When Adam was created, God saw that it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2).  So we have the gift of each other.  God calls us to love Him and each other; often easier said than done.  In the message we explore how, if it is possible, we can love completely.  The message draws inspiration in part from John Ortberg's wonderful book, 'When the game is over it all goes back in the box.' Listen in...Download Love Completely

Live Passionately

Kerry and Chris Shook have written a book, One Month to Live - 30 days to a no-regrets life.  We are using their book and its title as a launching point for a four week series leading into Easter.  Here we begin as we explore what it means to Live Passionately.  Listen in...Download Live Passionately