Well, people do have the regular prayer updates, but, maybe in a desire not to overrun us with phonecalls and visits, we have not had a visit from anyone at church, just a couple of emails. I was at a meeting on Wednesday and at choir yesterday and did give an update on the Brompton visit, but I think people quickly get fed up with a situation that goes on and on without any kind of a solution.
I got a message from our pastor asking me to read the psalm and the poem, I sent this paraphrase (don't worry I won't read it out)
"Lord, can we be real here?
If you are my Shepherd then I feel like I m straggling and struggling behind a lot of bleating sheep to keep up.
If this is the green field and whispering stream you bring me to, well actually it looks more like the lawn needs cutting again and the rain has come in through the windows.
When death and evil come close to us we are afraid to look ahead to the new day.
Comfort? Don't make me laugh.
When others seek to do us harm we struggle not to get cross and hide as far away as we can get.
When my cup overfloweth I dread to look what it overfloweth with.
We have no confidence at all, not a grain of faith left and rely on the prayers of others to keep us going.
We know that you are still there but it really does not feel like that, please forgive us for feeling like this."
I said that I could just about cope with reading Psalm 23 through gritted teeth, asking God to forgive me for not meaning a word of it.
I sent it about an hour ago and have not heard anything