DISTURB US, LORD!

Well, the prayer that Sir Francis Drake wrote certainly came true as we went to bed last night or should I say, early this morning, after seeing the New Year in - we were disturbed!

The wind was howling again, the rain was lashing down, and it took quite a long time to get to sleep - then it woke us several times during the night and it hasn't abated at all this morning, so today I am not even bothering to get dressed, but am staying in my warm, fluffy poncho all day!

I don't think we would even be able to walk properly, so it's a staying-in day. However, I did open the bedroom door to take this photograph so you can see how stormy it is but I very quickly shut it!

Happy New Year to everyone, and stay warm, dry and safe, wherever you are.

This prayer is attributed to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and is adapted from an original prayer by British seaman and explorer, Sir Francis Drake.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas
Where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,
Who is Jesus Christ.

I think this photograph also fits in with DDW's January 2014 Challenge for "white".