Biking and Hiking

My mate Stewart Goudie from Edinburgh just wrote a blog about whizzing downhill on a bike being like life, and here's what I commented:

I love biking too and it sure feels great when you are whizzing downhill after straining up a hard incline. That's what I feel like at the moment, after going through a lot of depression and coming out into the light. But when you are flying downhill you have to watch you don't go too fast and come a cropper. That's why I'm going to get back into work gradually. Set off slowly and build up momentum is the best idea.

I have taken up biking over the last month or two and really enjoy it. I have been walking a bit more too. This has helped me in several ways. I feel better, because the endorphins get going, it is good for my physical health, and counsellors have told me (again and again) that exercise is an important way of getting to grips with depression.

Scots Wa hae!

Audrey and I just spent a week at CLAN Gathering in St. Andrews Fife Scotland. It was not a meeting for all the McCabes in North Britain but Christians Linked Across the Nation joining together in a large marquee in a field.

The worship, preaching and ministry were awesome, especially for me. I went up for prayer as often as I could. The climax came on Thursday evening when God was telling Scotland "It's Time" to see revival. He was telling me it's time to go back to work and to serve Him.

So from today I am looking for work again. I feel so much better. Praise God.

His yoke is easy!

I promised to tell you how yesterday went after I blogged about the yoke and burden of Jesus. It went well.

I fitted in all I needed to, and a bit more besides. This was an emergency visit to the dentist as I was getting pain in my lower right gums. Turns out there's an infected ulcer there and I have to take a week's course of antibiotics. I go off one medication and straight onto another!

But it was a good day. I didn't use a to-do list but I yoked myself to Jesus and he helped me pull my burden. I would remember about things and do them at just the right time. And decide to do things on the spur of the moment.

This was to go to the Library and find out about the life of a distant lady relative whose christening mug I rescued from an auction in Liverpool on Thursday. The mug told me her name Alma Fairmann and the date of her birth 1st April 1856.

Using ancestry.com I found out that she was born in Cramlington, Northumberland and lived later in Earsdon, near Whitley Bay until her father died in 1890. Then she and her mother moved to Hamilton, Lanarkshire to live with Alma's sister Agnes who had married my great-grandfather John McCabe.
There she served as house keeper. After that I lost her.

What an amazing thing the internet is. Before it came along finding out that information would have taken weeks of research, letter writing, interviews and some fruitless escapades to the North East and Glasgow no doubt. This took me an hour at the Library. How times change.

O, and in the night I got up and wrote an article for The Sun.

My yoke is easy

I am really tired today after spending yesterday in Liverpool seeing my Aunty's furniture being sold, visiting her in a residential home, coming home to make the tea for hungry lads and then going on with Audrey to Skipton to visit some friends.

I have a lot to do today as well because Audrey and I are off to St. Andrews Scotland for the CLAN Gathering tomorrow. So I began by telling Jesus how I felt and asking for his help. These words came to mind from Matthew's gospel:

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

As I was praying and thinking about these words two images came into my mind. I have found two pictures to represent them.

The first one is of a yoke of oxen. These two animals are locked together with a piece of wood so that they work together in hauling something. The one cannot pull without the other.



The second is of an 18th Century waggon. These waggon horses are yoked together too.
This gives them more pulling power. Often the waggons were laid down with goods and passengers and were a heavy weight. But the yoking of the horses helped them to pull together.





That's what the Holy Spirit is telling me about today. Although I am tired from yesterday, and though I have a lot to do today, if I link myself to Jesus he will give me all the pulling power I need so that the yoke is easy and the burden is light, but it all gets done.

I'll let you know how today goes in tomorrow's blog.

Looking up

I suppose if you are on Cloud Nine you are looking down but I am looking up.

Things are improving in my life. I feel better physically and mentally, I have much more energy (yesterday I did lots of practical things) and although I am far from being positive I am not quite so negative in my thinking. These can only be good signs.

It may be a signpost towards the future. This way back to writing, perhaps. This way towards taking responsibility, perhaps. This way towards being confident, perhaps. Maybe this way towards writing that book for men who are depressed.

Cloud NIne

I had the most positive session ever with my NHS counsellor yesterday. When we were finished I felt on cloud nine. That's a place I haven't seen for months and months. I really felt like this picture.

Why is that I wonder? Well, it's a combination of things.

Coming off pills that were not helping but hindering me.

Prayer at the amazing events now taking place at IMC

Support from my wife Audrey through prayers and Bible verses.

Thinking positively.

As with all things to do with this ongoing depression I am waiting to see if it lasts. Whether it does or not, I am very glad to be here on Cloud Nine.

Great comments

Thanks for the comments, folks. Well, if you are human I mean. Three spambots left comment and left their evil links behind. But a kind reader pointed them out to me and they have disappeared into the ether, thank God.

And I do thank God that I am feeling so much better. The grass is greener, the blog words are redder and there is a better outlook all round.

Why did I get into a time warp (see blog titled Partially Blue)? Well, it was my use of the old terms Inland Revenue and Ministry of Labour. They now have very different names but that's how I remember them.

Keep reading and I'll keep writing

William Wilberforce

I have just been reading a review of a new book about William Wilberforce by William Hague on the blog of the Exiled Preacher

I made this comment:
"We need another Wilberforce today. I have been reading The Wilberforce Connection by Clifford Hill, published by Monarch in 2004. It gives a great review of the Clapham Sect and its work. If we took the principles and practical work of that group of Christians as an example we too could see good become fashionable again."

We could too. If we used this modern technology, effective campaigning and all the gifts God has given His Church, but particularly the Glorious Gospel, we could see good become fashionable again.

Hey! Guess what! No depression!

Partially blue

Hi guys

Sorry I haven't blogged for a bit but I have been suffering deep BLUES.

For a few weeks I have been taking antidepressants which were first prescribed by a psychiatrist back in August last year. They have been giving me headaches off and on and this last weekend has been abysmal. [Interesting word that, abysmal, the oxford enlish dictionary defines it thus: Of, pertaining to, or resembling an abyss; fathomless; deep-sunken.] This reflects my feelings too.

Nevertheless, here I am blogging again after nearly a month.

What else has happened? Well, by the grace of God, and help from the Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Labour I have got myself out of debt, but into a time warp.

I have read Veronica Zundel's book again and can't praise it enough.

I have also set up a second office in the spare bedroom from where this epistle is being dictated or rather sent out into the ether to see if anyone cares to read it.

Perhaps I was galvanised into action by an article I started to read in Saturday's Telegraph about a blogger who is so popular because she can't stand living in the North of England. I stopped reading because I was so annoyed [and jealous if I'm honest]. You can read it HERE, if you really want to.

I love living in the North. Just look at the side panel and you'll see why.

In the meantime, it's good to be back, but for how long...?