Reflections from Isle of Wight

Ronald Allen and Gordon Borror in a book entitled "Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel" speak of preparing for worship. In one section they ask the question “who is that person who comes to the community to worship God? It is that man or woman who practices the presence of God in private moments. That is, in addition to holding God in awesome reverence, they know him in daily living.”

As we arrived in London I must confess to being nervous as to the next steps in our journey. We had to catch a train from the airport to a downtown train station, then find a way from one train station to another in London, catch a train to another city, find a ferry, find a rental car agency, then navigate on unfamiliar roads on the opposite side of the road to find a house on the other end of the island. This all proved to be an adventure without much difficulty. We had basic framework parts in place (plane and train tickets in addition to city names) but had to discover all the rest (which trains to take, which subway to use, where the rental car agency was and the exact location of the house) on our own.

We found each of these and at the conclusion of the day we were settled into a wonderful setting in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight in southern England. Every window in the house has a beautiful view out over the ocean with quaint British houses all around. We spent the first day walking along the ocean on a walkway which encircles the island. Our second day was spent exploring another town, Newport, with its castle from the 1300’s and searching for internet access. The exploring the castle was fun and interesting while finding WiFi service for the internet proved to be a challenge! So far, we have to travel across the island to find service.

Allen and Borror remind readers of Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” They state, “The verb translated ‘acknowledge’ is a word that speaks of knowing actively the presence of God. One is to know God in daily activities. We are to experience His presence in the most mundane of chores.”

I found a sense of wonder in viewing the beauty of the countryside and the ocean. The kids have grown tired of my saying how great this is or how pretty this is. The groans are audible as I ask them to pose one more time to capture a picture of a particularly beautiful sight. (Can’t just take a picture – have to have someone in it!) It indeed has been a time of worship as I have strongly sensed the presence of God in all of our tasks. The wonder of God’s creation is evident around us, the wonder of the family is also evident as we have spent wonderful time together laughing, walking and telling stories.

The beginning of this journey has already proved to renew the wonder in our God, to rekindle the passion for Christ and to refresh the my spirit for His service.