Thinking of boats inevitably led me to think of anchors!
“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.” (Hebrews 6:19 TNIV)

‘It’s a soul anchor,
Hold onto the hope.
It’s a soul anchor
Just hold onto your courage.
Before we call, He answers us with hope.’ (‘Soul Anchor’, Michael Card)
‘Soul Anchor’, Michael Card

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

When darkness seems to hide His face,
I rest on His unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.” (‘Cornerstone’, written by Hillsong United)
‘Cornerstone’, performed by Aaron Shust

When you visit a small island for a holiday, you inevitably think about boats.

We sailed to the Isle of Man on a catamaran:

Whilst we were at Liverpool waiting to board the ship, we saw first-hand just how enormous a cruise ship (Caribbean Princess) is. We were stunned at the differences in size, only imagining how lost we’d get on such a vessel!

Our catamaran crossed the Irish Sea from Liverpool to Douglas to take us on holiday. At many points on the island, you can watch other ferries taking passengers and cargo to different destinations. This ferry was seen from the northernmost point of the Isle of Man:

We went on a boat trip around the southernmost part of the island to look at wildlife. That was a relatively small boat, holding about a dozen people.

Some people got off at the Calf of Man to wander around the rugged rock:

From this boat, we got to see the Calf of Man and other rocks off the southernmost part of the island, enjoying a beautiful day and relatively calm seas:

Apparently, however, these beautiful rocks make for treacherous sailing at times and many boats have been shipwrecked here. The lighthouse on the Calf of Man has a vital role to play in avoiding such disasters:

Whilst on holiday, we enjoyed using rowing boats and even had a go on a pedalo! These boat trips were in the ‘safe’ confines of man-made lakes, often small pleasure lakes.

As I’ve been looking at photos and thinking about the various boat trips we made, I have been musing on life as a journey. I generally enjoy boat trips, but only if the sea is calm. I don’t enjoy rough seas where the up-and-down motion seems far too much like a roller-coaster for my pleasure! Similarly, I prefer life when it’s calm and sedate, but often it has times of turmoil and uncertainty, rather like being out on a rough sea!

The boat trip I took around the Calf of Man seemed typically laid-back in style; the whole island has that attitude. We turned up at the harbour at Port Erin; there was a sign advertising trips; a man sauntered up to us, asked if we wanted to go, named a time and a price and we returned at that point. You wandered down some steps to reach the boat; they cast off, sailed around, pausing the engines at times so we could see the seals and birds without disturbing or alarming the creatures:

The trip worked so well because the people in charge were clearly totally comfortable with what they were doing and their experience and expertise gave us a real sense of security. They would point out sights for us to see when we could only look at those things through binoculars; with the naked eye, we would have totally missed the treasures they were showing us. They worked as a team, tying the boat up with practised skill and then casting us off when it was necessary. It made me think a lot about the disciples as fishermen and about the storms which frightened them and how Jesus is never afraid, even on the roughest seas.

On our last day, we visited a museum about the island’s history and were amazed to look at a model of a Viking longship:

The thoughts of sailing the open seas on this kind of boat compared to the ferry, catamaran or cruise ship is mind-blowing! Yet our worlds were explored and discovered in such boats, long before the comforts of the present age, where cruise ships are like towns-on-water!

I love the sea. God created land and seas and I love exploring His creation. The sea has featured in many Bible stories I love, perhaps most vividly in the parting of the Red Sea or the story of Jonah or the calming of the storm in the New Testament. I am immensely grateful, however, for the skill and ingenuity of men in making boats so that we can explore this part of God’s creation, venture further afield and spread the gospel.

It’s hard to pick a favourite song from a new album packed with favourites. Songs often speak into our lives at different times. Sometimes we need upbeat rhythms and bouncy melodies; at others, we need slower rhythms and gentle melodies. Sometimes we need lyrics that are anthemic and declarative; at others, we need lyrics that soothe our wounds and heal our hurts. Some songs are instant hits with us; we recognise their power and impact the first time we hear them. Other songs ‘grow on us’, finding their way into our hearts gradually as we listen repeatedly.

Aaron Shust’s new album ‘Morning Rises’ has all of the above. But I was encouraged to hear him talk about the song ‘Mighty Fortress’ and how he came to write it, because that was a song which, the first time I heard it, spoke deeply into my heart and my situation, correcting wrong thinking, silencing doubts and reaffirming God’s character.

Aaron began writing ‘Mighty Fortress’ two days before his youngest son was born. He had read through the verses that talk about fixing our eyes on Jesus and our hearts and minds on things above. As he read, he thought he wanted to write a song inspired by these verses but wanted to put a bit of a twist on them. He wanted to write about the things that God will not do. Two days after beginning ‘Mighty Fortress’, his son was born with Down Syndrome, a major heart defect, and profoundly deaf in one ear and severely deaf in the other. It was a devastating day for his family. Their world had been rocked and they needed the truths of this song to hold them up.

It was precisely the emphasis on what God will not do which I needed to hear. Sometimes, it’s easy to focus on who God is and what He is like, but we use the same words over and over again until we rob them of their meaning (in our eyes, at least.) Looking at something from a different angle enables us to see truth in a different light. These powerful verbs – abandon, deceive, desert, leave, forsake, running away, rejecting – can seem all too real to us when we are confused, hurt or bewildered. Reminding us of the things God will never do – because they are totally alien to His nature and character – is as powerful as reminding us of all the things He is like (which the chorus obviously does.)

The other thing I liked about the song was how we started in the 3rd person (‘he won’t abandon’ etc.), declaring truth, but moved to the 2nd person (‘you won’t abandon’ etc.) We start by learning objective truths about God, but those truths have to become personal to us if they are to move from our heads to our hearts.

The chorus echoes Luther’s hymn of the opening line, much loved by me in the original German (‘ein feste Burg ist unser Gott’). Any work which alludes to another opens up additional paths to explore; that always goes down well with me! Lyrics that also echo Scripture are, of course, solid truth on which to stand. Again, I liked the way the chorus (written by Paul Baloche) combines both 3rd and 2nd person truth. And finally, as I listened to the bridge, I found a lyric which brought home the truths of Romans 8:38-39 TNIV in a new way, all because instead of talking about nothing separating us from God’s love, they chose to use the phrase ‘nothing has the power to sever Your love.’ Sever. A verb meaning ‘to divide by cutting or slicing, especially suddenly and forcibly’ or ‘to put an end to (a connection or relationship); break off: “he severed his relations with Lawrence”.’

No wonder I like the song!

“He won’t abandon.
He won’t deceive.
He won’t desert us.
He won’t ever leave.
He’ll never forsake us.
He won’t ever run.
He’ll never reject us,
The Faithful One.

Yesterday and today and forever
Your love will remain
Nothing has the power to sever Your love
You are good, You are good
And Your mercy endures.
You are good.” (‘Mighty Fortress’, Aaron Shust & Paul Baloche)
Aaron Shust teaches the song

Last month when we were in Oxford, Igor met some wooden friends:

As far as I was concerned, that was the end of it. But today, an unexpected parcel arrived in the post, a ‘thank you’ present from our friend for the Oxford trip, providing a new friend for Igor:

She suggested this could be Igor’s younger brother; he has been named Arnold.

Arnold is obviously Garry’s, but I was not forgotten either. The other animal is Horatio the hippo (hippos being my favourite animal, though you can tell from recent posts that seals come a pretty close second! – perhaps my love for swimming is fuelled by my love of these animals, or maybe it’s the other way round!)

All this talk of holidays included advice on where to build your house (not on the sandy shore!):

It also explained Garry’s attire and the go-for-it attitude of the musicians:

We also had a birthday to celebrate:

Garry spoke on the theme of ‘Home & Away’ at the family service. Holidays are generally loved by most people, often because being ‘away’ seems more exciting than being at home, where mundane, dull routines often seem boring in comparison. Nowadays we can travel all over the world on holiday, exploring new places and escaping the vagaries of the English weather (‘In July, the sun is hot. Is it shining? No, it’s not!’ sang Flanders and Swann in their parody of the weather.)

What makes a good home? Often, it’s a place of rest, of welcome, of refuge, of acceptance. At home, we feel we are known and accepted. Being away may seem more glamorous, but being home often makes us feel secure.

Hebrews 11:8-10 TNIV talks of Abraham’s journeys, how he was called by God from his home to set forth to a new home. Ultimately, however, he was looking for ‘an unseen city with real, eternal foundations.’ God called him from the comfort of home to set forth to a new home and though the promised land was a symbol of that new home, ultimately there was even more ahead. Our citizenship, as Philippians 3:20 TNIV reminded us, is in heaven.

Paul talks about being at home in the body and absent from the Lord and says when we are absent from the body, we are at home with God (2 Cor 5:6-10 TNIV). We too are looking forward to a city with real, eternal foundations which can only be perceived and possessed through faith. Jesus has gone ahead to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-3 TNIV). Our task is to live in the now, but not to live for the now, for God has so much more ahead for us.

A holiday generally lasts for a short time in comparison to the amount of time we spend at home. This earthly life seems ‘home’ to us, but in actual fact, it is the ‘away’ leg of the journey. The time we will spend with God in eternity is our real home. How we live when we are at home in the body will determine where we spend eternity. Are we ready for that?