We’re home in the UK again.
It was a long journey but thankfully I was beginning to feel better after starting some sort of virus/infection on 1st January. Not the best way to start 2024.
It always takes a while to adjust to the 5 hour time difference and the slightly damper climate but it is a blessing to come home and enter a warm house. Our dear neighbours switched the heating on a couple of days ahead of our arrival.
Baking across the Atlantic!
Home for me involves getting back to baking. Strange, but true.
In fact I enjoyed my baking in America, too, despite the challenges of a differently milled flour. It’s also home…
This morning, back in Shropshire, I decided to try out a recipe for a crusty white cob loaf which I found on the internet.
https://bakerjo.co.uk/simple-white-cob-loaf/
If you’re in the USA, buy fast acting yeast and use proper bread flour. All Purpose won’t work properly! And you’ll need to convert measures to cups unless you have kitchen scales. Just Google it!
Here’s my finished result.
PS. It’s really yummy!
Poem: Returning
As the dough for the bread was taking its time rising, I rested a bit myself.
As I did so, I asked the Lord “will You help me write something to express how I feel about returning home? And in the wider context of “returning” in Kingdom understanding?
He graciously gave me the first lines – which I was challenged to scan poetically – but I later decided that they were a preface to the verses that followed.
Here’s the poem.
And if you enjoyed reading this, please scroll to the bottom of my website page where there’s a box saying “subscribe”!
Returning
Here I am again -
Familiar place, familiar time
My heart freshly stirred
To write down a rhyme.
A rhyme of returning
And finding things well
For praising my Saviour -
A poem to tell..
To tell of His goodness to tell of His love
To tell of His Presence, come down from above
To live with His people, to tell them “draw near”
For He is returning - His Kingdom is here
Yes, He is returning. He comes when we seek
He comes as we listen, for He comes to speak
His Words have His Life and He wants us to live
And when we receive Him, His Life freely give
And so the familiar becomes something new
Returning is joy filled when we come to You
Eternally changing, yet ever the same
Our present is held in the power of Your Name
And into the future where You hold us,too
A place still unseen, but safe within You
Yet now - as we live out our lives here today -
We’re called to “ascend”, to be with You and pray.
You come down. We ascend. There’s mystery there
But all is expressed on the wing of a prayer
For we are returning - to You by Your Spirit
And You are returning - for those who inherit
Your Kingdom. Your glory. Your will brought to earth.
Your sons and your daughters by heavenly birth
And - when we are turning from unholy things -
You give us a priesthood anointed for kings
Yes, You are returning and we long for You
We’ll see the clouds open in breathtaking view
A brilliance of glory, a dazzling array
As You lead the armies of Heaven’s new day!
All the glory, honour and worship belong to you - O, Lord God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - now and forever!
I began this blog/website a few years ago now. I wanted to find a way to publish the poetry that the Holy Spirit has been graciously inspiring me to write since 2020.
If it was indeed a gift from God then it was meant to be shared.
So, if you would like to receive the blog when I post it, please go to the subscribe button at the bottom of the
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www.poems-and-reflections.com
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katestanway948@btinternet.com
Thank you, dear reader.
The Bakery 