I’m currently reading:
“A book of silence” by Sara Maitland
“Train Dreams” by Denis Johnson
Fun Fact of the week: A jellyfish is not a fish!! A fish has a backbone, whereas the jellyfish is a dome-shaped invertebrate.
I have given up TV for Lent which has created lots of space for more wholesome pursuits such as playing wordle reading. So, this week I read “Train Dreams” which is a short story on which the excellent 2026 Oscar nominated film of the same name is based.
When movies are made from books most people seem to prefer reading the book first because you can create the world in your own mind without someone else’s vision impinging. What I’ve noticed about this book and film is that the same story is told with such a different ‘feeling’ and emphasis. The movie I watched felt like a lament for the old ways of life and a tragic love story. The book tells the same story and the events are told within a broadly similar timeline. Yet the story I have read has a completely different feeling to it. The book is a story of unresolved guilt, a questioning of choices made, and a quest to hold onto sanity.
Perhaps when we read the Gospels, and other scripture, during the season of Lent this same issue arises? We read the same familiar stories for a second, third, or a hundredth time, but completely new questions arise from it, new emotional responses arise, and God shines a light on areas of our life that had been previously hidden. We wonder if we are reading the same story at all! One of the wonders of scripture is that God continually speaks to us afresh through it. In particular when we study and discuss scripture together as a small group, we get to learn from one another and the Spirit of God can work through our companions to bring new perspectives to our life and faith. Do come along to one of our Lent groups on a Wednesday and discover a fresh take on the old stories!
As always, if you would like me to pray for, or have a conversation about anything then do get in touch. I am available to listen and share in whatever might be arising for you at this time.
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God revealed to us in Christ Jesus" Eph8:38-39
With peace and blessings,
Rev Steve
07503164309
My day of rest this week is Saturday (7th March)