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Viewpoint from Mary Yves 22/04/2016
 Mary Ives, Lay Minister
St Andrew’s Church, Gorleston
Retiring from full time employment I thought life might just become easier! However, I actually feel in some ways it has become busier, and frequently wonder how I managed to find time to work! It’s amazing how so many different doors have opened since that day I last left the office
One of the things I really wanted to do was to travel. We live in a wonderful world and up until my retirement I had seen very little of the amazing things out there. While I am travelling I often find God speaking to me in amazing ways. So far this year we have managed two trips abroad. Normally in February we take the opportunity to find some summer sun – I really dislike winter. However, this year we decided to do something ‘different’. We took ourselves on a cruise up the coast of Norway and up to the Russian border. A friend asked me if I like snow – and I had to admit that I hate it. Yet, this trip was totally amazing and I believe I have described it as a trip of a life time!
 When we travel abroad I love to visit local churches – and it was no different this time. What did strike me particularly was how the style of these churches changed as we went further northward. However, inside all the churches we visited we found a warm welcome, a sense of peace and the presence of God. None of the churches were ornate, but simply furnished and decorated. Most of them were fairly new due to the devastation of World War 2. Lots were open most of the time – so different to what we find here. People spoke to us – in English and welcomed us. Sitting in the pews well away from my normal world I once again felt God’s presence washing over me
Thinking about this afterwards I realised that we don’t need anything elaborate to worship God – we can come just as we are. If we truly seek him, he will find us just where we are. We don’t need to wait until Sunday, but we can come at any time. Jesus said: - ‘"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7)
Have you sought God in the quietness recently? He is there – just reach out to him!
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