Yellow Snow?!

The sky and the weather forecasts have been threatening snow in the North-East all week.

On Monday there was a short flurry of snow during our youth club, which didn't last long, and it's been very cold ever since, but no snow. Yesterday, the weather forecasters announced a "YELLOW SNOW WARNING", which they later changed to a "Yellow weather warning for snow" with a bit of hindsight!! Brilliant!

I started running again this week. I woke up one morning, with the crazy idea that maybe I could run the Edinburgh Marathon this year! Despite the very cold mornings and minus temperatures ('C), I've managed to get myself up and out on some short mile and a bit runs. (Only 25 more miles to build up... is it possible before the end of May?!) and this morning as I was finishing my short "long run" (2 miles!) this morning, a few stray snowflakes began to fall. The snow then set in and although it's not very deep yet, it's still falling!

I feel compelled to point out that the snow is very white and not a hint of yellow in it! But if you do find any yellow snow; Don't Eat It!

Also, if you're thinking of doing anything crazy like a marathon, give yourself time to train and build up your fitness. Although, I haven't been running in a while, I've done a couple of half-marathons in the past, I run about the football pitch most weeks and I'm healthier than I've ever been... I just need my fitness to catch up now. 

I've no idea if I'll be ready in time, or if I can keep it up, but goals and ideas can help motivate, so it's a bit of a dream but I gotta start somewhere. Watch this space...

Hope and Hindsight

What is hope? Where is hope?

How do you hold on to it when it seems out of your grasp?

Sometimes you can’t even catch sight of it.

But hope is there- you just need to believe it, keep pushing into it, even if you don’t know what it is that you’re pushing into.

In the dark, with a distant light shining at you, the dark seems darker, the path is hidden and unknown, like when someone shines a torch in your face, but the light is there. You know to keep moving towards it. Eventually when you reach the light and look back, the light illuminates the darkness that you have emerged from, the paths you have trod are revealed. Looking back, the hope is united with hindsight; doubts about whether it was just a whim, a dream or wishful thinking crumble. Hope with hindsight reveals rock solid faithfulness.

Over and over, the light has seemed dim, the way forward blind, hidden and uncertain, but God has led me on, through wonderings of ‘I know you’re good and I know you’re here... but HOW are you going to do it this time’ and, ‘Where are you in all this?!’. ‘Where is the hope in this situation?’, ‘what is it going to look like’ when I reach the light and look back at the illuminated path that seemed so dark.

But I have seen ‘God pull through’ over and over, through jobs and houses, housemates, family situations, seeing God at work in my life and others around me. I look back and I see his faithfulness, Hope with Hindsight!

Now, I’m back wondering what hope looks like, where it is going to end up, longing to glimpse the hindsight that is hidden and I feel plunged into darkness again. But I remember the journeys that seemed so dark with difficulty and uncertainty and I remember seeing the breakthrough and seeing how God kept me close and led me on.

So I’m going to keep pushing on, knowing He, my Creator, my Saviour, my Hope, has it all in hand and is faithful, because I have seen hope with hindsight over and over again.

Hope has been a theme and a challenge in my work, my art, my thoughts over the last few months and years. Look out for more hope related blogs. I'd love to here what you think about hope. Thoughts, experiences, questions... 

At church we’ve just had our ‘June Project’ which has had a huge focus on hope. Check out http://kcdarts.blogspot.com/ It’s an art gallery bringing together a number of different artists and styles from the church around the theme of hope. Check it out...  (I’ve got a piece on it too.)