Skip to main content

The Rock

 

Not to long after moving onto the farm at Marcy Air Erin and I realised the farm itself felt like a faded jewel.  We began praying about what we should do if anything. One thing became clear was the possibility of a prayer walk around the farm via a series of prayer stations. We have lots of space some amazing views much of Gods creation speaks to us of his wonder when we allow it time and space in our lives.  I am not sure if it was a vision or just a good idea or even a whisper from God, but we settled on creating 12 prayer stations around the farm. Hopping this would assist us who live here but perhaps more so visiting missionaries who stay with us. That this prayer journey around the farm in a sort of guided manor may help others to see and hear Gods guidance.

Erin and I identified where we believed prayer station number two was to be. It is just around the corner from our house next to the irrigation canal.


On Friday morning I began a conversation with my farm team centred on The Rock prayer station number two. I asked them if they could begin clearing the site and shared what I hoped would happen. If I was honest, they looked at me as if I had lost the plot! but that look is not unusual and often well justified.  I returned to my team a couple of hours latter and progress was rushing ahead. But then my Induna (Forman) suggested to me we pave the floor with the broken bricks we have. Again, if I am honest, I was surprised at the keenness and creativity. We talked it through the issue and agreed the direction of the project and I left them to it.

Another couple of hours passed so I made a pastoral visit to the team and Bingo. On the floor a circular patterned brick paving looking lovely. I was I believe encouraging to them and we then talked about the position of the seat.  For me this is vital, I shared the seat needed, had to be positioned so when facing forward all you could see was the rock. No view of the valley, or trees or farm just rock. Once again, I think the team though the plot was completely lost, and I had been out in the sun too much.


My theory is this. There are plenty of places with lovely view to reflect on Gods wonder and majesty. But this was to be different. I wanted the whole of the view from the seat to be filled with the view of the rock. This station is a place where we can wonder at what it means to have God as a rock? He is not a rock, but we have the language to describe him as such. When all around is changing something of God is fixed, perhaps unmovable.


Part of the inspiration for this thinking came from my love and work with Mark Rothko’s creations in The Tate Modern. Where my Damascus Road to abstract expressionism happened. Rothko’s Seagram murals are large, no bigger than large inspiringly large, no vison filling large. He directed at one point that the viewer needed to be some 14 inches (I think) away from the canvas, so the work fills the whole of your view.

This is my hope for The Rock prayer station Number 2, that our view is filled with The Rock inviting us to think and ask what does it mean in our journey with God call him our rock?

To finish, my team asked me to get Erin to make sure the seat was going in the correct place! as it was to be cemented in the ground. So we all agreed the seats position and I have to say it looks great. I did a sort of celebration dance which amused my team and we prayed together. That God may use this space to tell us and others something of God’s wonder, grace and guidance.

My team were taken back a bit when I informed them, we would like another 10 stations around the farm. If you feel you would like to sponsor a prayer station it costs about £250 write to me and share your thoughts.   

 Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Response To Bishop North

A while back Bishop Phillip North spoke to New Wine and caused a bit of a reaction one of it was a Tweet to my millions of followers. In response I had a phone call from The Church Times asking for a quote because I serve in a poor parish, I declined and said I would put a more considered response on my blog, so here it is with a link to The Bishops full talk. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/4-august/news/uk/there-s-a-future-for-the-church-if-evangelicals-put-the-poor-first-bishop-north-tells-new-wine 1.      One of the issues the church does not recognise is the exportation of people , talents and money from parishes like mine to middle class parishes which is draining and demanding on leadership. For 10 years I thought I was building a community, then it dawned on me I was building people up to go to other places. 2.      Bishop Phillip talks of abandonment of the poor: I think it’s more complicated than that. When ...
9 comments
Read more

Two thoughts

My two thoughts for the morning. As the BBC moves to replace the CofE as the national church of no belief, as parts of the BBC becomes more irrelevant in the new world is it possible The BBC will consume itself with its left wing cynical view? When the issue of faith is shown the back door and told not to come back who will the new priests and priestess pour their cynicism on? Perhaps themselves? For we all need the other voice who we don’t agree with to gain a greater understanding of who and what we are.  History tells us every regime needs someone to bully Secondly, will The Church not be better without these platforms of privilege? When we are no longer welcome on the platform of privilege as will happen at some point, will we not need to shape up to redefine what we believe, what we have to share, what we don’t need? Privilege tends to make you slow on your feet, breed chummy inward looking relationships, privilege steals from people the ability to move under the defining cult...
3 comments
Read more

YWAM Nensa

Mercy Air trip to  YWAM  Nen s a ,  Mozambique The  first mission trip of our  ‘ new normal ’   in South Africa  happened last week.   Azarja , our pilot, flew the team ;  which included Bruce, Stephen, Erin and Nigel  in the Cessna 310. We traveled from Mercy Air; to Kruger International (to exit SA); to Beira (to enter Mozambique); then on to Marromeu (12 hours total, including long waits for permits and visas – This is Africa!)   The drive by car ( in a  4x4) would take about 3 days on some very difficult ,  non-tarmac roads.  Allison and Leanna  drove  the final  1  1/2  hours  from Marromeu  to the YWAM base  at  Nensa .  As a rookie African  M ission ary,  I did  initially   feel a bit like Michel Palin without the film crew. The common red sand  road,  so   many people walking into the dark , headlamp beams throwing themsel...
4 comments
Read more