Dirty Weekend

Well that was some weekend. The boat journey from hell and then a weekend of mud and hurricanes. I'm glad to be back on Orkney. Here's a few photos of my mates enjoying themselves.

Look after your pets!

When Lord did we ever see you...?

When Lord did we ever see you hungry and feed you?

I'm famished!
I could eat a scabby horse!
The cupboard is bare.
We know where our next meal's coming from
and where it's going.
But do we know the cost?
The poor wait ,hungry for change.
Jesus waits with them

When Lord did we ever see you thirsty and give you a drink?

What're you having?
It's your round!
I only drink to be sociable.
Make mine a double!
We take it for granted, drinking,
whatever we want, whenever we want.
Some live to drink,
others drink to live!
The poor wait, thirsty for justice.
Jesus waits with them.

When Lord did we see you a stranger and welcome you in our homes?

Who's that over there?
The new boy, the incomer.
Never set eyes on him before.
Not sure I like the look of him!
We like to stay safe,
comfortable in the circle of our friends.
The strangers wait for welcome.
Jesus waits with them.


More on Sunday, feel free to comment or contribute, please!

Hoy!

Some photos from yesterday on Hoy:

Remembering

Remembrance Sunday is always a difficult time, trying to find things that are meaningful to say to people who have genuine memories of war and those who don't. The last time I prepared a Remembrance service (nearly 20 years ago) Britain hadn't been involved in a major conflict for some time.  Now, of course, hundreds of young men and women have lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

I found this and am thinking of using it on Sunday:

How do you say thank you to the men and women
who risked their lives, and lost their lives to secure our freedom,
our way of life, our peace and our prosperity?

How do you say thank you to the men and women
who went through the most terrible experience of their lives,
surrounded by death and carnage, losing friends and loved ones,
seeing things that would change their lives forever?

How do you say thankyou to those who went through all of this
with the belief that their one life, whether lost or saved,
could make a difference, had to make a difference, for our sake,
the generation they had not even met yet?

How do you say thank you to the men and women
who had faith in us before we were even born,
faith that we would become people worth fighting for,
and worth dying for?

How do you say thank you?

You honour their sacrifice with your life.
You go to war against your faults and failures.
You conquer all the things inside you that make this world
a worse place to live in;worse for your family, friends and neighbours.

You fight to make the small space in the world that you touch a better place.

You win the battle for your own soul.

You be good and do good; you live selflessly, remembering the example
that the veterans, both living and dead, laid down for us.

You live life so well that those who remember the horrors of war
look on you with satisfaction and pride and are comforted,
never feeling for a moment that you weren't worth the price they paid.

Harvest Sunday

A big thanks to everyone for their donations to the Highland Foodbank!

Day off!

Took the boys out to Yesnebay this afternoon....they had fun!

The Church Council

First  meeting, for me, of Stromness Church Council. Hope they are gentle with me! Last time I was at one of these things , twenty years ago, two of the Elders ended up trying to strangle each other and I went home and wrote my letter of resignation.

Things can only get better!

Harvest

Manna
Enough-simply enough,
not too much,
not an over-abundance,
but enough.
Sufficient for the day,
not for storing up
or hoarding for the lean times,
but enough.
Seems fair that everyone
should get just what they need,
regardless of status.
Just enough.
Those are the resources
supplied by God.

Graemsay

Spent a lovely day today over on Graemsay, had   a lovely wee service with seven folk at it. I feel it's  quite important to keep these folk involved in the life of the Church. Any thoughts?