Pondering… Who knows!

Hi folks, Hmmmm, ok, i’ll start with it… Happy New Year! How you all doing? 

This week we are meeting face to face at the Cullercoats Crescent Club at 7.30. We were supposed to be starting a new theme this week but we are going to push it back and start it in February, basically Covid stopped play!

If you are intending to come along please be aware that we are still encouraging face masks be warn when walking around the club, and we would also encourage some degree of social distancing while we chat together. 

This week Pauline has written a ‘blog’ for us, although you can tell her brain was just as scrambled as mine! Hope to see you on Sunday if you are able.

I’m not very good at writing blogs, I offered to do this one at short notice and then wished I hadn’t! What I thought I might do just didn’t work out so I began to panic and got somewhat stressed. 

Eventually I wondered if it might be good just to meet and chat about our week, the one just gone! Is there something that you did or saw, learned, heard, experienced, read or someone you met that affected you in some way? It may have been big or small, long lasting or transitory… if  there is something and you want to talk about it that’s great if not that’s ok too.  

Then I thought maybe folk might like the opportunity to say something about Sunday@thePub, what you enjoy about it, what you don’t, why you come, are there things that are helpful to you in your faith/spiritual journey whatever that looks like, do you have any suggestions about things we might discuss or do together in the future?

If anyone feels able and would find it helpful to chat about how the pandemic has affected them or is affecting how they feel now go for it!

Not quite finally…. Would you like to contribute a little sound bite? Any one or all of the following will do:

• A Wise saying!
• A slice of Encouragement!
• An arrow of Hope!
• A bit of a Laugh!
• A shaft of Light!
• A grain of Truth!
• A Word from  a / the Holy Book

Finally…… if you are still with us! A blessing, you can choose your own.

A Pub Blessing

I would like to have the men ( and women!) of heaven 

In my house:

with vats of good cheer

laid out for them.

I would like to have all the saints

Whose fame is so great.

I would like people 

From every corner of heaven.

I would like them to be cheerful

in their drinking.

I would like to have Jesus too

here amongst them.

I would like a great lake of beer

for the King of Kings,

I would like to be watching heaven’s family

drinking it through all eternity. (St. Brigid)

The Blessing of Light.

May the blessing of light be upon you,

light without and light within…

And in all your comings and goings,

may you ever have a kindly greeting

from any you meet along the road. (From old Gaelic)

Prayer of Zerubbabel

Bless to me my germ of faith.

Bless to me my shortness of vision.

Bless to me my vulnerability of heart.

Bless to me my trembling of courage.

Cover me with grace,

for blessing is of gift and not of might. (Tess Ward)

Paradox Blessing

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers,

half truths, superficial relationships,

so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice,

oppression and exploitation of people,

so that you will work for justice, equity and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed

for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and war,

so that you will reach out your hand to comfort them and change their pain to joy.

And may God bless you with the foolishness to think

that you can make a difference in the world,

so that you will do the things which others tell you cannot be done. ( Who Knows ?)

Rob Wylie

Rob Wylie is the founder of BeachcomberFX and guides its leadership team.  He has worked in the North East for over 20 years and has vast experience from various roles he has held.  He has a passion for Fresh Expressions of Church and Pioneer Ministry as well as beer, beaches and Miniature Schnauzers.