James’s Blog: Winding Down.

James’s Blog: Winding Down.

The end of October will be this blog’s fifth year anniversary. That means I’ve been posting something more or less weekly for five years now, and I’m feeling it. That’s around 260 posts, whether I had something to say or not, whether I wanted to post something or not. I’m not delusional enough to think that I have a limitless supply of wisdom to distribute over the internet – I’m surprised I’ve lasted this long, to be honest.

But I have made a decision. The Law of Diminishing Returns is a real thing and five years is long enough. This means that I’m going to take a break once we reach the end of October. I don’t know for certain what this break will look like – whether I’m hanging up my blogging pen for good, or if I’ll be back after a break, or if I’ll just hang around indefinitely, posting something every now and then. I’m not sure. It’ll also depend on what works for Lioness Publishing and Elsa – after all, it’s her site.

I didn’t know what was going to come of all this when we started it. We’d just published The Listening Book and this blog was supposed to be its companion. Like most authors, I nursed a secret hope that this might be the beginning of something huge, but I’m far from disappointed with where we’ve ended up. God has been very gracious to me, mostly through Elsa and Mark and all of you who have taken the time to read what I’ve typed up every week. Thank you.

So I hope you enjoy the blog posts that follow over the next month, and will join with me in giving thanks to the God who created everything and gave us the gift of being able to create our own little worlds.

James’s Blog: God in a Box.

James’s Blog: God in a Box.
I’ve been making my way through the account of Jesus’ life found in Mark’s Gospel recently, and though serendipity I ended up reading the Passion narrative during the week leading up to Christmas. The Resurrection arrived on Christmas day itself. On Christmas Eve I was struck by the comparison offered in Mark 15:42-47. The season demanded that we remember the Christ being placed gently in the manger by his parents, and there I was reading about how another Joseph placed him gently in a tomb carved from rock. Neither could hold him of course. He grew too big for the manger, and grew too alive for the tomb. Such is the way of Jesus. He will not be ‘placed’ anywhere for too long. He cannot be held, trapped, nailed down, cornered, pinned, ensnared, bound, boxed in or bottled up. You may as well try and glue the sea in place. We may be more comfortable if he stays in the manger, the gentle spirit of Christmas goodwill, but he will refuse your kind offer of accommodation, and wander off somewhere, life and mayhem following in his wake. Despite all the trouble he’s caused me at times, he is without a doubt my favourite person ever. And despite all the trouble I’ve caused him, he seems quite fond of me too. So when the Messiah who won’t sit still sticks his head through your doorway and says, “I’m going out for a while. Fancy a walk?” what can you do? What can you say to that kind of invitation?
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