Arrived safely in Salvador....

CORDOBA - clever, cultured and cold....!

Travelling from the lush tropical rainforest of Iguazu to Argentina's second city, Cordoba, came as something of a shock! Firstly, there were all the usual trappings of a city - traffic, buildings, people, hustle and bustle. (The very comfortable but "simple" hotel was also a bit of a come down! Indeed, intermittent wifi has made sending blogs a challenge but, here we are...!) Although a travel cliche, Cordoba really is a fascinating mix of old and new... 17th century ecclesiastical buildings stand next to the latest shopping centres. CLEVER: Indeed, this city boasts a long established academic foundation: Manzana Jesuitica, Argentina's first university (so it claims!). The next door academic establishment, Colegio Nacional de Montserrat, with its baroque exterior walls, may be as old - it all depends on whether you consider the date building began or charters were established! Visiting the university's oldest library and being shown a 17th century bible...

Psalm 25 verse 2: "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people both now and forevermore."

Travelling I've been conscious of God's gracious love towards me - but also for the need to be 'safe'..... Security is a big issue today. If you phone your bank, there will be lots of security questions to answer before your enquiry can be answered. There is much talk of national security, security cameras, security codes, etc. People want and need security – it is a desire deep within us. The question is, where can this security be found? God knows that the desire for security is there in believers also, and has been from ancient times. So he gives to Israel, and to us, a great assurance that they and we are totally secure. He says that he surrounds his people just as the mountains surrounded Jerusalem (v 2). This is the protection the Lord gives his people – the Creator God himself always keeps his people! He wants us to revel in this secure love, which is everlasting. We want to believe this is true, but how do we feel when so often life seems hard and evil appear...

If God was a glacier...

Would I recognise within the purity of the whiteness, the whole spectrum of mercy and love hidden in that white light....? Would I stand in awe of the power veiled in the beauty...? Would I be open to this transforming force - shaping and re-shaping, removing all that stands in the way of changing, slowly and subtly taking all the 'boulders' of my 'baggage' and depositing them far away from my concerns...? Would I be prepared to pause, to stop and to listen out for the sounds of the secret symphony within, God promising hope that, even in the cold, painful moments, all will be ultimately well...? If God was a glacier, would I dare to visit, would I want to visit, knowing that, when we meet God, things will never quite be the same again...

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