History repeats itself...

I'm absorbed in this book:

Cahill has a truly wonderful way of writing that is engaging, sometimes humorous and deeply thought-provoking.  He re-tells the early history of the Jews (ie the first books of the Bible) in a way that takes the reader right into the realities of life then - and the impact of that civilisation now.

I am struck by this quote as he re-tells the story of Pharaoh's attempt to reduce the number of Israelites by telling the midwives to kill the boy babies.

"And why must we think of Pharaoh as rational? Have we not been given evidence that he is irrational - that he thinks the Children of Israel are 'many more and mightier' than the Egyptians?  It is perhaps only in Pharaoh's eyes that the Children of Israel "swarm" as if they were breeding insects?...

I do not doubt that what we have here is the portrayal - in a few deft strokes - of an insecure Egyptian madman, an all-powerful god-king who fears that someone else could be more powerful than he."

Then a few pages later Cahill has re-told the story of Moses repeatedly asking Pharaoh to let the Israelites go - and the ensuing plagues as Pharaoh keeps changing his mind saying yes and then no.

"The comedy in this narrative lies in the ironic juxtaposition: Pharaoh, supposedly all-powerful, understands nothing. It would not be too much to say that this narrative asserts that power (because it is a feckless attempt to usurp God's dominion) makes you stupid, blinding you to your true situation - and absolute power makes you absolutely stupid."

I leave you to see why I have called this post "History repeats itself."

In spite of the horror of these events for those who were living through them, I find hope in the fact that as the story unfolds, it is God's redemptive power that directs what happens next.

Local pilgrimage

The Abbey of the Arts newsletter recently suggested ways to make a pilgrimage without needing to go far from home or to a special place. I love walking and walk pretty much every day, so today I decided to make my walk a pilgrimage. The difference between waking for exercise and walking as a contemplative practice - or pilgrimage - is simply in how and where I place my attention. It's easy to walk and daydream or walk and worry or walk and plan the next event ... nothing wrong with just an easy free flowing walk with no special agenda. But walking with a desire to intentionally "notice what I notice" has a different feel. I decided to take photos of what I especially noticed. This is not about good photography, it's about a reminder of the myriad causes for gratitude in the simple "everyday-ness" of what is around me. Here are a few of the photos:

The sun shining through leaves and flowers.

Rubbish bins and the people who empty them.

After noticing several bins along my walk I was able to thank this man for his work. He looked surprised and pleased to be noticed! I hope it added a spark to his day.

Small parks hidden between houses. Space to relax or play.

A newly built fence. Maybe it's good to know what to fence in and what to keep out. 

Perhaps these boundaries sometimes need to change.

The beach with either tide in or tide out - both necessary, both beautiful. Life too has its tide in, tide out phases - also necessary even if not always feeling beautiful.

Happy people, happy dogs!

Unselfconscious enjoyment. 

This woman was singing along to her phone the whole length of the beach. I passed her twice. 

Steps for the steep places - with a lower handrail for shorter people!

Made me think of how God graciously meets us at just the "height" we have grown to.

 Sand - such versatile material with many, many uses.

My sturdy walking shoes making this walk possible.

Stopping at my favourite cafe for an excellent coffee and a muffin after an hour's walk.

On to the library - another of my favourite places.

I went to collect one book and came home with three to add to the one I'm currently reading!

Two novels and two non-fiction seems like a balanced diet!

While in the library I could hear these tiny tots having a story time. Then they were walking back to their childcare centre all holding onto a central nylon cord with a loop for each child to hold. 

A caring teacher was keeping watch at each end of the procession.

I feel abundantly grateful for all the enjoyment and blessings on my morning pilgrimage walk!