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Viewpoint from Richard Ferrari 01/11/2024
 Richard Ferrari
Great Yarmouth Healing Rooms
Bradwell Pentecostal Church
A few times in our lives
Most of our lives are lived in the routine which usually involves work family and friends. But sometimes we get an idea. It seems to be out of the blue, we don’t know why but we have a strong desire to do something different. Usually it doesn’t involve financial profit; it even may involve spending money or risk
Recently I visited a school kitchen and the cook said to me that she has felt that she wants to help a school in the developing world, maybe visit or support a community that needs help. I encouraged her not to wait but to do something now. She knows a friend who has an involvement in an African school, maybe she could also get involved but if she puts it off, the inspiration may be lost
 In August I made a baritone acoustic guitar. This is something that I have wanted to do for a couple of years. I had to go up to Scotland to be trained, took all my year’s annual leave in one go and it was quite expensive, but I now play the instrument and can make more in the future for other people. It is larger than and has a lower sound to a normal guitar. Some people say that the earth resonates in B or C notes, I tune the guitar to and play in those keys, it slows the music down and it is helping me be more creative. The back and sides of the instrument were made from a Victorian mahogany table-top that my dad had in his shed and had used to repair something else. I inlaid the headstock with a wagon wheel symbol to think of my mother as her name was originally “Wainwright”. My parents were instrument makers in their spare time and have recently passed away and developing the gifting that I didn’t know was there is also a way of remembering them
 The bible says “without vision the people perish”. This is from Proverbs 29 v 18. Particularly the change times in our lives are critical- for example going from school to work, getting married, going from work to retirement. Many people stumble at these changes and don’t find their way into the things that would inspire and motivate them. I am finding the transition towards not needing to work for money quite difficult but I am also absolutely determined to do something useful in later life. Key to gaining vision is saying yes to things that open up new life and deliberately making them happen like for example learning a new skill or supporting a developing community abroad. It can also involve being honest and realising that even if we have some faith in God, he may appear to be a bit distant. Working on our relationship with God can bring positive change to our attitudes and personality so that situations don’t press our self-destruct ‘buttons’ any more and we can get through things better
So often the possibilities in life can be closed down by apparently logical thinking- “that is probably not possible, or there is too much risk”. Maybe even our first attempt might not work out and we might need to be persistent to make it happen. My hope for the reader is that this might encourage you to reconsider what might be if you dared to explore what you really want to do
picture of Richard's guitar supplied by Richard Ferarri
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