Today I was in Halesowen for the team meeting where Roy challenged us with a verse to dwell on over the next month:

‘Above all else, guard your heart, for it effects everything you do‘ Proverbs 4:23

I don’t think it needs any explanation.

Andy Flannagan led us in worship for the start of the morning. I particularly like what he got us to do this morning, and I think he was so right in what he said.

Andy drew our attention to the fact that a lot of the words we use to describe God come from an almost exclusively agricultural terminology – shepherds and so on. He suggested that maybe we find it difficult to connect with God as we do not relate to these agricultural terms anymore – they are simply not part of our everyday culture.

Andy got us thinking through silently our personal images of God using modern items from our lifetsyles and then turning these into prayer after about 10 minutes all together.

This was a great experience and some of the prayers/language that I heard and have thought of since include:

God, your judgement is like a speed camera – creed, race, background, affluence, poverty are unimportant – if we go above 30 mph judgement falls

Lord, your voice is like the sound of a car horn – when you speak you naturally command my attention.

God, I think of annoying ansaphone messages and I’m thankful that you are never engaged.

Lord, you are the super drug of my soul, causing me to rise above the hassles around me and follow you.

Father, like the M25 you are continual and never-ending.

I felt I connected on a different level again today.