Surfing channels tonight, looking for something mindless after a long day. I came across Bruce Almighty, a film I love. I tuned in just at the point Bruce asks God: "How do you make someone love you without affecting free will." 
As I prepare for preaching tomorrow, I'm wishing there was more time to simply sit with the word. It's not about re-prioritising but, rather, about perspective. Reading a text for the purposes of preaching it somehow changes it. But the opportunity to just enjoy the richness and mystery in the text is too often compressed as the preaching deadline approaches. Time to allow images to penetrate and take root because all that needs to be said is already there. Somehow, though, I don't think folks would settle for that. Shame.
Finally found my way to Ayr River Gorge today. These are the covenanter steps at Peden's cove where, it is claimed, the Scottish covenanter, Alexander Peden preached to people across the river. As I walked the rest of the Gorge, I found myself wondering - Would I be so persistent in preaching the word as an outlaw? Of course not - although there has to be some attraction in not having to navigate church courts and traditions and sensitivities. But I know without a doubt that I am a fair weather preacher. No living rough for me!
Sometimes you meet someone and you just know this is someone you can work with. Whether short term or long term, the signals are all there. The chemistry is just right. Today I was sharing with a bunch of young folk the story of Jesus calling the disciples from their fishing and it struck me - is that how it was for them? They just knew this would work? Did they look at him in action and think - "I'd like to tag along for awhile, learn from him, hone some skills."? Being around such folk brings colour into life and spirit (or The Spirit) into work.
It's amazing the things you hear at Presbytery. This evening we were being encouraged to think in Einsteinian terms rather than Newtonian. That is, to see change as the only constant and respond to the fact that life does not always proceed in an orderly fashion. In the words of a contemporary philosopher - "D'oh!" (Bart Simpson). Faith is surely all about the entirely unpredictable nature of life. It's that irrationality to which the church responds and on which it thrives. I'll stick with the gospel according to the Simpsons, thanks.
I spent a few hours at the end of last week rescheduling things this week so that I could be at a friend's memorial service. Tonight, in about 10 minutes, snow fell so fast and so furiously that it looks as if all those plans might be up in the air again. Of course by morning it could all look quite different. But I see God's wicked grin in the snowy clouds gently reminding me that life is only fun if it is entirely unpredictable. And, just when we think we've got things under control, a wee lob from left field can always bring us to our senses. Isn't part of the fun of Lent looking for God to jump out and catch us unawares? - because she can!
