34 <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2023</strong> Please mention <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> when responding to advertisements BAR MEALS SUNDAY LUNCHES FUNCTION ROOMS WEDDINGS Delicious fo od <strong>and</strong> excellent service makes Sonning Golf Club the perfect place to bring family <strong>and</strong> friends. Join us for a Bar Meal on our beautiful Terrace overlooking the Golf Course. <strong>The</strong> new Club Menu is available Monday - Saturday 09:30-16:00. Non members wel come. To make a reservation or for more information contact the office on 0118 969 3332 office@sonning-golf-club.co.uk
THE ARTS <strong>The</strong> <strong>Parish</strong> <strong>Magazine</strong> - <strong>July</strong>/<strong>August</strong> <strong>2023</strong> 35 Take time to savour the delights God offers us By Rev Canon Michael Burgess ‘What is this life, if full of care, we have no time to st<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> stare?’ But this issue's painting is the other way around as we sense the animals looking at us in ‘Herdsman with Cows by a River’ painted in 1650 by the Dutch artist, Albert Cuyp. It is an ordinary scene of nature, yet there is a radiance <strong>and</strong> a tranquillity that strikes us as we see cows st<strong>and</strong>ing in the still waters. Around them there is movement: birds flying, boats sailing into the sunset <strong>and</strong> two fishermen busy at their work. But the cows <strong>and</strong> herdsman are quiet <strong>and</strong> contented, relishing the day closing, <strong>and</strong> contemplating the world going by. In many of Cuyp’s paintings the sun bathes each scene in a golden light. Here, clouds are gathering as the sun sinks, but there is still a glowing calmness brought by the light of the sky. Some of us will be planning, or taking, holidays. Some can be a frenetic rush, while in others we sit back <strong>and</strong> relax, letting what we see around us bring refreshment <strong>and</strong> renewal. It is the way we are encouraged to savour the joy <strong>and</strong> delight of scripture in what is called lectio divina. Monastic teachers compared it to cows grazing in the field. <strong>The</strong>y pointed to four stages: Lectio: we take a bite of scripture; Meditatio: we Book Review chew on that word; Oratio: we savour its flavour <strong>and</strong> nourishment; <strong>and</strong> Contemplatio: we digest its goodness to feed body <strong>and</strong> soul. <strong>The</strong> cows in Cuyp’s painting have spent the day doing just that — grazing <strong>and</strong> ruminating in the fields nearby. <strong>The</strong> herdsman has brought them to the river to relax in the water. Soon they will go home to the farm <strong>and</strong> the safety of the cowshed. Tomorrow will be an opportunity to graze anew in the gift of another day. Walt Whitman wrote in one of his poems, ‘I think I could turn <strong>and</strong> live with animals, they are so placid <strong>and</strong> self-contained, I st<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> look at them long <strong>and</strong> long.’ As we st<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> look at the cows in this painting, perhaps we may Struggling with God: Mental Health & Christian Spirituality By Christopher C H Cook, Isabelle Hamley, <strong>and</strong> John Swinton, SPCK, £14.99 This book gets to the heart of a predicament for many Christians: when our mental health struggles are overwhelming <strong>and</strong> our capacity for faith <strong>and</strong> hope <strong>and</strong> love is diminished — how can we maintain, never mind nourish, our relationship with God? Jesus helped people wrestling with mental health problems; anxiety <strong>and</strong> depression, <strong>and</strong> more severe ones, including bipolar affective disorder <strong>and</strong> schizophrenia, are addressed by the author. <strong>The</strong>y explore the impact mental health disorders can have on individual Christians, Church <strong>and</strong> society. Each chapter includes Biblical reflections, prayers, questions for individual/group study, <strong>and</strong> pointers to further reading. It presents a Christian vision of spiritual <strong>and</strong> mental wellbeing through prayerful struggling with God. <strong>The</strong> National Gallery, Creative Commons Agreement realise that whether at work or on holiday, in Sunday worship or Bible reading at home, God can feed us through his world around us <strong>and</strong> in his word in scripture. As long as we take the time <strong>and</strong> the care to savour the delights that he offers us. Poetry Corner By Steven Rolling Willing Witnesses Tune: Abridge — ‘Be thou my guardian <strong>and</strong> my guide’ Water of life, river now flow From us, that others know <strong>The</strong> Spirit’s touch through word <strong>and</strong> deed And to your message heed Message of salvation to all Who on the Lord’s name call Give us courage, boldness, that we Not as the blocked streams be Not stagnant, stale, but refreshing Something of God’s life bring To each we meet, be large, small ways Throughout our pilgrim days <strong>The</strong> gospel preached, teaching, healing Your name glorifying As you Christ did, so may we be Sharers of you freely That deaf shall hear <strong>and</strong> dumb shall speak Grace to the humble, meek That sick be healed, e’en dead to rise True gospel spread, no lies Eran Turjeman, dreamstime.com
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