We had a ‘different’ kind of weekend. With the battering from Desmond (the storm), many in our region have been affected by either floods or power cuts or sometimes both. It brought back memories from my childhood experience in Romania, when we lived through scheduled power cuts and limited availability of hot water for sometimes a couple of hours a day (good luck if you lived on the top floor).

It made me realize how vulnerable we are – in spite of our apparent over confidence in the trinkets we have available in the Western world. You just don’t mess with nature’s frightening force….

It made me realize that I have no idea how hard it must be for some to be elderly and trapped, to see your beloved home become unlivable and not be able to communicate and find out how your loved ones are…

It made me realize how dependent we are on technology and how that that makes us isolated, impractical, un-creative and ultimately ‘dumb’….

It made me realize how much we fill our minds with silly distractions, instead of reflecting and engaging in relationships….

It made me realize that people still care and have a longing to reach out to others, less fortunate than themselves…

It made me realize how much I love the British calm and the humour that gets thrown in – instead of bitterness and anger…

It made me realize how resilient my congregation are, ready to do whatever it takes to be together and encourage one another….

PS

Also, get a battery operated radio (tune into your local station), have torches, batteries, candles and a corded (is that what you call them?) phone available for these kind of events….