Amazing Auntie

Drove down to Somerset today to visit my Mum's twin sister, and her husband (almost three hours away). They are amazing. It's because of Uncle Denis that I preach; he was a pastor and invited me to preach in his church over thirty years ago. When I said no, because I was a woman, he challenged me to look again at what the Bible really said, and the rest is history. He has been extremely short-sighted for years, but that hasn't stopped him from recently writing and publishing a book. Auntie Helen looks at my Blips daily, and then emails me encouraging comments about them. 

On the way back, we had a quick look at Watchet, and loved it, though it was practically dark when we got there. It was the inspiration for Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and there is a statue of the mariner with the dead albatross hung round his neck on the harbour, but Paul liked this photo (extra), taken from the 150 year old lighthouse, best.

Today's Advent reading was about the angel announcing to Mary that she would become pregnant, in Luke 1:26-38. The reading picks out verse 28:

The angel, having entered where Mary was...

God comes to where we are, in our place, at whatever stage we are, with whatever mess we might be in, and invites us into a partnership with him to do great things.