Chris Jefferies

Image of the day – 37

It feels especially good to be experiencing the grandeur, the beauty, and the sheer ‘thisness’ of the surroundings.

What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.

I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.

Arriving in Ireland, one of our first explorations took us into the Wicklow Mountains, driving a loop from Newtownmountkennedy to Glendalough via the old military road through Sally Gap. The scenery was glorious as you can see from the photo. I was reminded of North Wales, the Pennines, the Lake District, and Western Scotland.

It always feels good to be alive, but for me this was one of those special times when it feels especially good to be experiencing the grandeur, the beauty, and the sheer ‘thisness’ of the surroundings.

‘Thisness’ is a term I borrowed from Kim Stanley Robinson‘s Mars trilogy, a word he puts in the mind and mouth of Sax Russell, one of the science team in the story. The books are a good read; begin with ‘Red Mars’, then ‘Green Mars’, and finally ‘Blue Mars’. They are not just good science fiction, they are also a powerful commentary on many political, technological, and societal issues in the real world.

Images from our Irish holiday 2024

For convenience, here’s a list of all the Irish holiday images:

28th Jul – Welsh Botanic Garden, Robin, Fishguard
29th Jul – Wicklow Mts, Glendalough, Powerscourt, Rose, Greystones
30th Jul – Liffey, Temple Bar, St Patrick’s Cathedral
31st Jul – Newgrange, Battle of the Boyne
1st Aug – Monasterboice, Mourne, Thrift, Window
2nd Aug – Spelga Dam, Hydrangea, Pipework, Lough Neagh
3rd Aug – Coagh, Springhill, Portrush
4th Aug – Beach at Portrush
5th Aug – Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede, Portrush

Themed image collections

The links below will take you to the first post in each collection

Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

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‘Gradually, then suddenly’

Nobody can predict when the crash will come. But I believe General Hodges is right when he suggests that current events in Kursk are unlikely to be the only surprise.

What is going to happen next in Russia’s war against Ukraine? We don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. But it’s possible to make some broad predictions even without knowing the facts.

General Ben Hodges, speaking about Vladimir Putin and the Russian Army’s current floundering against Ukraine, quoted Ernest Hemingway :

How did you go bankrupt?

Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.
Ernest Hemingway – ‘The Sun also Rises’

This is certainly true of Russia, they are wasting their soldiers, wasting their equipment, the economy is sliding out of control, and the population is now beginning to hear the very bad and disturbing news from Kursk Oblast (click the map for a larger version).

And it’s just as true for Putin personally. His moral bankruptcy in Russia and in the world at large is going to catch up with him. Abraham Lincoln’s famous words are relevant here: ‘You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.’

The truth has a way of coming out, and it often chooses very bad moments to do so!

Nobody can predict when the crash will come. But I believe General Hodges is right when he suggests that current events in Kursk are unlikely to be the only surprise Ukraine will spring on all of us, perhaps in the near future or maybe a little while later.

We’re still in the ‘gradually’ stage. But for Russia and for Putin the ‘suddenly’ phase will surely follow.

Watch the interview with Ben Hodges

Kyiv Post interview with General Ben Hodges

The Kyiv Post interviewed Ben Hodges on 21st August 2024, answering a series of questions about Ukraine’s recent activity in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, as well as some more general questions.

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Image of the day – 36

Be prepared to use sustained pressure; care, wisdom and understanding; accurate guidance; and by no means least, as much time as necessary.

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What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.

I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.

We were leaving the Welsh port of Fishguard for Rosslare in Ireland for a two week holiday. We drove our car onto the ferry and then relaxed on board, and I watched as the ship’s maneuvering thrusters churned up the water and pushed us away from the quayside. Before these thrusters were introduced, a pair of tugs would be required to get the ship into a position where it could begin to leave the harbour. The disturbed water between the ship and the quayside is clearly visible in the photo.

Moving a heavy object from a fixed position takes a lot of force, but that force also needs to be well-directed and carefully applied for some time. Sometimes we are like the ship. We have some kind of fixed position (mentally, ideologically), but to get us to safely shift may require considerable pressure combined with delicate care and understanding, accurate guidance and plenty of time.

In principle, we are all the same. So it’s worth remembering the right approach when we want to encourage some kind of movement in others. Be prepared to use sustained pressure; care, wisdom and understanding; accurate guidance; and by no means least, as much time as necessary. You certainly don’t want to cause a shipwreck!

Images from our Irish holiday 2024

For convenience, here’s a list of all the Irish holiday images:

Themed image collections

The links below will take you to the first post in each collection

Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

< Previous | Index | Next >

Useful? Interesting?

Image of the day – 35

When natural food supplies are plentiful, it may be better to let them find their own.

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What’s in an image? Sometimes quite a lot, more than meets the eye.

I’m posting an image every day (or as often as I can). A photo, an image from the internet, a diagram or a map. Whatever takes my fancy.

This young robin perched on the back of a chair at our table in the cafe of the Great Glasshouse. Clearly hoping for some dropped particles of food, but disappointed as we only had coffees at the time.

Is it good to feed wild birds? Sometimes this is a no-brainer. In the short, cold days of winter when food may be hard to come by, a bowl of tepid water and some fruit, seeds, fat balls or dried insect larvae may be just the thing they need to avoid dehydration, starvation or hypothermia. But when natural food supplies are plentiful, it may be better to let them find their own. Here’s some good advice from the RSPB.

Coincidentally, my second Image of the day was also of a robin.

Images from our Irish holiday 2024

For convenience, here’s a list of all the Irish holiday images:

Themed image collections

The links below will take you to the first post in each collection

Cirencester, Favourites, Irish holiday 2024, Roman villa

< Previous | Index | Next >

Useful? Interesting?

Every chapter is necessary

There is a synergy, a sparking of abundant life that comes from the interdependence of the parts.

This is a slightly modified copy of an article I wrote in 2014. I’m republishing it because I think it is still useful and deserves another airing. Perhaps it hints at some things we are liable to forget.

The book, Simple Church: Unity Within Diversity, contains twenty-four chapters. Each one discusses a positive aspect of church, something that is an essential part of the whole. Reading from the book I was deeply impacted by Chapter 22 from Kathy Escobar; the chapter is entitled A church that restores dignity where it’s been lost.

She writes:

Jesus calls [Lazarus] out of the tomb, but then he looks to the people around him – his community, friends, and advocates – and says to them ‘unbind him’. Unbind him. Unwrap him. Take off his graveclothes.

I think God calls us to participate in this uncovering-unwrapping-unbinding with each other through healing community.

And it struck me that although church is much more than the sum of its parts, all of the parts need to be actively present. There is a synergy, a sparking of abundant life that comes from the interdependence of the parts. Church is a person, the Bride of Christ.

Like all people, you and I are much more than the sum of hands, ears, spleen, heart, lungs and all the rest. But if any of these were missing we would either die or be unable to fully function. And it’s just the same with the church.

Just consider some of the other chapter themes. The church cherishes Jesus Christ, exhibits personal holiness, counts every member as key, assembles for mutual edification, and knows eternal life is free. Imagine all of those being true in a church that fails to restore dignity where it’s been lost. It would be a church without the active compassion necessary to unbind those who so desperately need it.

Or consider a church that clings to scriptural truth, is most notable for its love and is united in Christ but doesn’t follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. This would be a church that failed to hear where to go and what to do and did everything in its own strength.

Or what about a church that was composed of peacemakers, viewed itself as a people, restored dignity but failed to proclaim the gospel clearly?

The chapters of this book all stand alone and can be read alone. But they often overlap so that there are echoes and glimpses of them in one another. Yet taken together, with no part missing or inactive, they describe a holistic church, a wholesome church and a church that is alive and active and effective in the world. There are other aspects that are not explicitly covered in the book, prayer for example. But these are implied throughout in a variety of ways.

Church is as complex as any living organism, and just like a living organism it is not only complex but also multi-faceted, and astonishingly well constructed. The church is also alive with the life of Christ. And every part contributes!

Find the book on Google Play Books and on Amazon Books.