What Seasons of life are you in now?

            It has been two years since the last entries in this blog.  The previous two entries in 2018 were because of the death of a cousin, having the responsibility of winding up his estate and the things that were learnt through that experience.  We have also moved back to Newent after five years in Chippenham helping with a new church plant there.

            As we look back on those five years we see the Lord graciously giving us an important period of transition back into British life and culture.  The Lord knew that we needed this time for renewal and adjusting.  We see that time as a good season in our lives, a time to appreciate the Lord in new ways, a time to just be, a time to experience life together with a group of younger people, examples of growing in grace and a greater freedom in the Lord and being available for the Lord to use us in the ways He chose.  We give thanks for those many experiences in Chippenham.

            We are back in Newent and grateful that we moved and were settled before the Corona Virus lock-down crisis.  Living in lock-down has been a strange experience.  Although used to working from home, having to keep our physical distance between people, only being allowed out for basic shopping and a daily walk, and not being able to interact with family and friends in the way that we would have liked, has been more difficult.  How long this will continue for, we don’t know.  Life will be different when restrictions are lifted and a new ‘normal’ whatever that is, will be another change to adjust to. 

            This new ‘normal’ will be the beginning of a new season in our lives.  Already, God has opened unexpected doors that may well be pointers of the way the Lord is leading us into new opportunities here in the church.  One of those opportunities was being asked to write some articles for a weekly church news letter during this lock-down.  How this will develop is unknown at the moment.  When in Chippenham, I didn’t have the desire to do much writing.  That was part of that season in my life.  It may be that this new season will see writing as a bigger part of my ministry here.  The plan is to post these articles in the days and weeks ahead and after that to write further blogs as the opportunity presents itself.  There is an excitement as to how this new season will develop in the weeks and months ahead.